Lake Powell love

My family and I are back from a fantastic five days in Lake Powell. As some of you might recall, my mom was getting re-married this fall; she wanted something that was small and intimate, just the family. She also wanted a destination wedding, and so a house boat on Lake Powell was chosen. My mom and her boyfriend of three years, Chuck, were so excited to tie the knot. Chuck doesn't have as close as a family, or any children, so it ended up that the wedding party was just my small-ish family, and we had such a wonderful time. I'll write about the wedding in a separate post, but first I wanted to share tons of photos and captions, we really did have a fun time.

First photo of the group, one I'm sure you are all anxiously awaiting, my tummy at 29.5 weeks. Yep, I'm looking pregnant! Baby November has been kicking and moving a lot lately, I think he knew we were celebrating a wedding.

(This photo was taken in the main channel, once we got into a side canyon, the cliffs were super steep and beautiful.)
E was on cloud 9 the entire time he was driving. He loves boats and ships, and although this is just a house boat, he took his job very seriously and did a great job.
My mom really wanted some sheer cliffs, and since it was her day, we seeked out Forgotten Canyon and found that it was perfect! We got the last spot in the canyon before it became to narrow for boats, it was awesome.
The bride and groom near their wedding location. Don't they look happy?
First thing we did once choosing a spot was jump into the water. The water temperature in Lake Powell is so perfect for swimming, nice and refreshing, but not cold.
My Aunt Laura and I swam across the channel to jump on this little cliff. Yes, I talked to my doctor, and yes, she said it was okay. Now we can tell Baby November that he was a little cliff jumper even before he was born.
The beach we pulled up on had this beautiful natural arch of dead drift wood. Isn't it perfect for the wedding? We loved it! Left to right - E, Uncle Mike, Mom, Chuck, my cousin Kendra, Grandma.
On the second day Brandon, Chandler and Kendra decided to begin "Operation Comfort". This was a silly game where they would try to slide down the slide and land perfectly, as if sleeping, on an air mattress in the water. Everyone was having a great time watching, because it seemed the harder they tried, the faster they flopped into the water. Here is one of Brandon's entries.

The upper floor of the houseboat was a prime chilln' spot. Brandon brought his hammock too. E and my sister Melissa just relax in the heat of the afternoon.
One afternoon Aunt Laura decided to organize a splash competition. Whoever could get the biggest splash by going off the slide would win the fantastic prize of $5! We all were very very set on winning. Each person could try three times. Laura is so funny, each of her entries had a name, one being "Bald Eagle, Diving, in Alaska". She totally cracks all of us up.

Anyway, after some very large splashes, E and Chuck were tied. They each needed to do one final slide to pronounce a winner...



E wins! My Grandma had an entire ceremony where the winner got to wear a blue noodle and receive the prize money. We also decided to do a side competition of smallest splash, and Laura and Kendra were neck and neck. However, Laura's "Golden Eagle Soaring Over Red Rocks" entry won! She also received a blue noodle and $5.
As always, cocktail hour is a very big deal with my family. Most nights around 5:00 we got started and sat on the back of the boat. Here is half the group, Melissa, Chandler, Grandma, me, and my Mom. (E was sitting near me, I'm not sure why he isn't in this photo.)
The other half of the group. Chuck, Mike, Kendra, Laura, Brandon, Kathleen (Brandon's girlfriend), and Melissa.
My brother Brandon and Laura and Mike own canoes and kayaks, which meant they brought them down to Powell. A favorite activity, if we weren't swimming, was to take one of the boats out, especially if it was close to sunset. Here my cousin Kendra give my mom a kayak lesson.
Also near our spot in Forgotten Canyon was one of the remaining intact Anasazi Ruins clinging to the cliff. A trail took us right up to the ruins, and here you could even explore and go inside them, which was so interesting!
Here E and I are inside one of the ruins. Isn't it magical? And aren't I looking prego?
Many nights E and I would try to take the canoe out at dusk. Here we are canoeing up the canyon, towards the ruins. This might be my favorite photo of the entire trip, isn't the water's reflection amazing? It was so beautiful down there, just stunning.
If we continued canoeing past the ruins site, we came to this: a beaver dam! We came often because if you sat very still and quietly, you could hear the beavers within the dam! We heard what we think to be three nursing babies, splashes, and even a burp!
On the last night we were following a trail of bubbles downstream and finally spotted Mama Beaver! I tried to get my camera out quickly and quietly while she slipped into the water from shore, swam a little ways, and finally slapped her tail on the water surface before diving and disappearing. The only photo I got was the tail splash. It was such a neat sighting though, E and I can't stop talking about it!
On the way out the last day most people sat near the front of the boat to watch the canyon glide by. So lovely. Here is Kathleen, Brandon, Laura and Chandler.
Forgotten Canyon, just glorious.
Tomorrow I'll post a blog entry about the wedding and the wedding day! We brought fresh flowers, candles, a cake, and all the other things needed for a beautiful Lake Powell wedding, and I think we pulled it off spectacularly.