Lake Powell

Family vacations. What's not to love? I can think of a few things, but those are always trumped by great memories and a lot of fun. Back in June we had a family vacation at Lake Powell. This was no ordinary vacation as we were celebrating my father's 80th birthday and all 6 of his children and most of his grandchildren and great grandchildren were able to come. It was a logistical nightmare, but a tremendous success and everyone had a grand time. Some of the highlights:

1. EL CAPITAN

My brother got stuck with driving the mammoth boat. It was no small task. Particularly when there were numerous "el hefe's" on board who frequently had others ideas about navigating, driving, etc. There were more than a few mishaps, including hitting a sandbar which caused food and any other thing on shelves to go flying. Luckily, no one was hurt, but it was an ordeal. The motorboat, which he was also in charge of, also died on a number of occasions which I know caused him and his wife a lot of stress. Unfortunately, I missed one of the more memorable events which involved gassing up the beast. Let's just say that this elicited a classic "senior el hefe" moment of shouting, arm waving and hopping up and down. Unless you have experienced an 80 year old man doing this, you won't be able to accurately picture the hilarity. I can. Thanks Jr. El Hefe.

2. FAMILY TIME

When you don't live next door to your cousins, this is a great time for the kids to bond and play. They did plenty of both. The LG had plenty of occasions to be shown up by his female counterpart. She's fearless, and didn't flinch at jumping off a cliff, jet skiing, tubing, sliding off the slide, water skiing and a laundry list of other activities I don't likely know about. The LG had a great time tagging along, though often as a spectator. The Rooster and PoPo also had plenty of time playing with the many cousins who were there. 

3. SR. EL HEFE
This was a vacation Papa had been wanting to take for a long time. He was pretty happy when he wasn't flying off the handle ; ) It really was an amazing feat to have so many of his posterity there!

SCENERY
It's a pretty amazing place. The water is warm, the cliffs are amazing, and the sunsets/sunrises are brilliant. The weather was also perfect when we were there. Hot enough to keep you in the water, but not to cook you once you got wet.

PLAY TIME

Though I am not going to recommend this as the best vacation for small children if you as the parent want to relax, it is a great place for playing on the "beach", and in the water.  There's plenty of both. 

STRANDED
A group of us ended up stranded for about 6 hours while scouting out our camp site. This had something to do with the motorboat dying, and cell phones not working all that well. Me and the BK (and our kiddies) were part of that group. We didn't have nearly enough drinks, food or water toys to make this pleasurable. Luckily, the group of campers across the lake from us were kind enough to bring us water, some treats and support. It was very kind. The site was perfect however, and once the houseboat actually found us, we had a great few days exploring and playing.

DANCE PARTY
This was definitely one of the genuine highlights. It was the night before we left, and everyone was having a ball, particularly the girls who really know how to shake it. The Rooster is there in the middle, and is learning some awesome moves from her older cousins. Below, the PoPo is showing off some moves all his own.

It was a great vacation, but is the kind you need a vacation from when you get home. The kids had an amazing time, the adults will need a few years before thinking this is a good idea to repeat anytime soon.