Lake Pal

After a year off, we resumed our annual Lake Powell trip in June.  We were especially excited to tow 2 jet skis, a water mat, a tube, the water trampoline, and the stand-up board in addition to everything else.  So what happens when you add a lot of extra weight to a trailer that, unbeknownst to you, has an already weak tire??

You continue in the Steed tradition of vacation breakdowns, of course!!  Luckily, this occurred immediately after merging onto the freeway, and a short 2 miles from a tire store.  Nearly 3 hours later, we were on our way.

We enjoyed our trip through the desert.  The highlight is probably passing the Zzyzx exit.  Thanks, Zzyzx, for helping us with the alphabet game!

And look who we found on the Windwalker with us!  At this point Ali and Jeremiah were fairly excited, unaware of the toll that 2 weeks on a houseboat with a zillion other ppl takes on you.

And look who else!  Kephanie!!  Also super excited!

I thought I should include one of the 3 pictures of myself that were snapped during the trip.  I've read these sad articles by moms who never took pictures of themselves and their kids look back and forget that they ever had a mom because she's never documented via photograph as ever having participated with the family in any way.  Sounds a little extreme, but in truth there are few pictures of myself, so here's the obligatory top-o-the houseboat couple shot.

75 miles upriver, we approach our beach spot.  The lake is so low this year, that everything looked very different.  Just two years ago, we anchored well above where you see the bushes in the middle of the hill.  Jeremiah and Chuck get ready to untie the anchor ropes.  Poor Kevin, he has no idea of the digging that awaits him.

Dig, Lee!  Dig!!  We don't want to blow away! Kevin got horrendous blisters on his palms doing the same.  Too much office work the past year, I suppose.

Typical dinner shot.  Looks like taco salad night!

My babies.

Aside from digging many, many holes (which may or may not have included approximately 8 or 12 latrine holes), Kevin was our AV guy, as well.  Thank goodness!  He saved movies up top by figuring out what the problem was and spending some time upside down looking at wires.  Thanks Kevin!

Father and daughter off the front of the boat.

This is what it feels like to go on a houseboat with a walking 11 month old.  All day.  All the time.  It actually wasn't a very relaxing trip.  Fun, yes.  But not relaxing.  At all.  Thanks, Brooke!

But she sure is cute eating her Cup o' Soup topside (mother of the year, right here).  This is probably my favorite time of day on the lake, when the sun starts to disappear and it cools down and the water becomes impossibly perfect.  

Seesters!  On our day trip to Escalante River.  It was a long way, but fun to see some of the amazing rock formations.

No day trip would be complete without rock jumping!

Lee doing his best to knock the kids off the water mat.

Waaaay off in the distance you can see Steph totally photo bombing this shot..  She had this really amazing instruction on the SUP and was pretty much tearing it up on this flat, glassy water.

Hey, there she is!

All of the boys.  Grayson and Mason (gray rash guard in front)  are 5 days apart in age.  Mason is older.

About half way through the trip we moved spots to this fabulous sandy beach area. It was much better for playing outside.

And hanging out.

And for wearing your Duggar suit.

And holding your new wife/husband on your last vacation for a really, really, really loooooooong time. (j/k lol, Kephanie- just a long time)

We had such a great time and were so stoked that family could be with us.  Although we neglected to take a single shot of wake boarding, surfing, wake skating or tubing, there was an awful lot of that, too.  

Until next year....

This was the hottest temp of the trip, BTW- going through Baker, CA on the way home.  Yikes!