Thursday, August 8, 2013

Lake Powell 2013


If you can keep them alive and uninjured, Lake Powell has to be the absolute best vacation spot on earth for kids.  Sandy beaches to rival any on earth, but fresh water (not sticky salt water), two-inch waves (so no chance of getting knocked over or sucked away), and endless outdoor activities from swimming, diving, hiking, climbing, fishing, lizard hunting, etc., etc.  And then you get to finish your day by sleeping under the stars and seeing who can spot the most shooting stars.  It's really dreamy.  Tait has been asking us several times a day since we returned, "Can we go back to Lake Powa for a minute?"  If only.  Here are some of the highlights from this year's Hurst Family Reunion aboard the Rebel.
Last swim of the evening with cousins.


Splashing around while simultaneously trying to breath in the monstrosity-vests mommy insisted Julie wear.


Jumping off the houseboat, nearby cliffs, or anything else that could induce that thrill factor that inevitably leads to pain.


Cousin Clo-Clo perfecting the beauty float.


Twilight photo-walks with uncle Pat (my kids' uncle, not mine).


Ah, the beauty.


Crazy cousins.  No, really. 


Fishing in a J Crew catalogue.


Cousin Hairy (aka Henry).


Eating Apples-to-Apples, and playing it too.


I love the below panoramic picture -- even though the quality is mediocre -- because it shows just how awesome Lake Powell really is.  In that 180-degree view (click to enlarge), you can see (from left to right) a rainbow, a cloud burst, a sunburst, a silver lining, and a thunderstorm approaching the mountains.  And if you look really carefully, you can see a beautiful, beautiful flamingo flying by carrying a beautiful, beautiful painting in its beak.  That part I made up, but seriously, Lake Powell is amazing.


Sunrise from the fishing boat (because, as all good fishermen know, you have to start fishing before anyone wakes up in Portugal).


Tenny landed a monster Striper and then tried his hardest to look like it was no big deal.


Taiter fishing, which is a special brand of fishing that requires no hook and involves a lot of high-pitched squealing followed by parents pretending to be so impressed that -- believe it or not -- Taiter still has a "fish" (aka metal washer) on the end of his line.


And this girl.  Well, she jumped off the back of the houseboat so many times each day that she would just zonk out in the middle of the houseboat as if there weren't 25+ family members partying all around her.


But all good things come to an end.  Until next summer.


If there's one good thing about leaving Lake Powell it is this:  We get to drive home through Utah, the most beautiful state in the nation.  The below picture, for example, is from random spot Utah (near Scipio), and I did not use any filters or otherwise alter/enhance this picture in any way.  That's just Utah.


Amazing trip from start to finish.  (Thanks, Grandma Julie!)

3 comments:

Katie said...

wow, you make Utah look good. or maybe Utah makes Utah look good. and lake Powell too. my favorite tag was fishing in a j crew catalog. which is exactly what it looked like. fun times. I can attest to the magic of the Hurst house boat and lake Powell. some of my best moments.

Hillary said...

See, Jeremy, working until midnight and sacrificing your sanity before and after the trip was totally worth it....right?

J to the oey said...

I am super jealous. Powell really is magical. Haven't been there for far too long. Love the pictures. Tell tait that I'm sorry I scared him when we parted in slc. We like you guys. Like. A lot.