Lake Powell
Several days before Lake Powell, Nikole and John shared their worries about the boats second engine, which had stopped working. They were in toudh with management who assured them it would be done but it wasn’t looking good. Nikole called to tell us what to expect - that we might be spending the week at the dock. It wasn’t great news but we were committed to coming and making the best of it. And then we started praying.
We packed on Friday and had everything done soon after Chris got home from work. We left on Saturday morning at 7:30am and drove the 10 hours to Page, Arizona meeting up with the whole Johnson clan at Antelope Point Marina.
We were especially excited to have Cassie with us, for her first Lake Powell trip!! and Megan, who was a maybe for months because of high school soccer state championships. We waited to see how well the Varsity Team would do and how much playing time she would get through the season. Two days before the trip, Chris reached out to Coach Fred and asked whether Megan would be playing. He understandingly explained that Megan would dress and sit with the team for those two championship games but that if she went on the trip she could join the team for the last two games. We opted to take her with us and I’m so glad we did!
At the marina we unloaded all of our vehicles while Nikole explained that the night before, management called them to say they were taking the houseboat OUT of the water because they couldn’t figure out how to fix the engine!! John talked them through it and they agreed to find the part and get mechanics working on it Saturday at 6am - They found the mysterious part from another boat in dry dock and began fixing the engines. So happy.
On the Houseboat - Saturday Evening
Chris got on the first load and headed down to the houseboat to help take things in and start getting things organized. I waited at the top of the marina with Nikole, Ashlyn and Lindsey and we chatted waiting for the next loads. By 7:00pm we were all on the houseboat trying to make sense of the piles of bags and sleeping bags. The big kiddos - Tyler, Emily, Spencer and Megan headed into town to pick up pizza and then we settled into the living room what an adventure. Love having these cousins together.
We chatted about funny new jokes that will never get old - what constitutes a musical, the way people pronounce words, love languages and then eventually headed into the interesting world of enneagrams. Lindsey read the descriptions of each of the nine different types and we quickly made our assessments and pointed at the person we thought it described. It was super interesting. So fascinating that a little four sentence description could so accurately portray each one of us. Our conversation lasted until 2 AM and already I know it’s gonna be one of the highlights of the week. Such a fun conversation.
Sunday - Heading to our Cove for the Week
We slept well but not long enough and all 27 of us were up by 7:00. The mechanics were back again to work on that supposedly fixed engine and fix the connection for freshwater. By 9:30am we were off and considered it a huge blessing!
We sailed for an hour and a half. Katie and I headed up to the top and hung out with Haley, Derek, Matt, London and one by one the entire group. We made up a secret handshake with London, and then showed everyone.
The lake is at an all time low. Hasn’t been this low since 1964. Crazy how it changes the landscape and outline of the lake. John and the teens scouted out a great location and the teens waited there until the houseboat could come. A little Cove all to ourselves complete with kayaking areas and cliffs for jumping. It already feels like heaven. We had chicken croissant sandwiches for lunch and then headed out to enjoy the water… Cliff jumping, kayaking and watching a herd of 11 mountain sheep.
Monday
I hardly took any pictures today… It’s just so wonderful to relax, read, swim, eat, play games. Finally at the end of the day I hopped on the boat and brought my camera along for some twilight surfing pics. Fun to be on the boat with Chris and Katie.
Tuesday
We took some group pictures of Grandma and all the cousins. Then the boys set up Water Spike Ball in our cove and spent hours playing.
After it was dark John and Nikole had us all get onto the back deck and started handing out glow in the dark bracelets. We made bracelets, necklaces and rings and adorned our hair, biceps, thighs and lifejackets and then jumped in for a night swim. It was so fun. The kids LOVED it and boy could we hear it. They were SO LOUD! haha
Wednesday
Chris, Ryan, Cassie, Nikole and John we’re up at the crack of dawn for their sunrise slalom session. When they got home we all helped with the big breakfast of pancakes fruit and eggs. We started to play games and then John and just a few of us headed out for a foil run. His foil board has a huge metal fin on the bottom which allows him to ride above the wave. John is still learning how to master it but is still quite impressive. So proud of Emily for wanting to give it a try. She actually did pretty great. We had a late lunch of gourmet salads and then dad, Tyler, Megan and I played a game of tiny towns, a new favorite, and then headed onto the boat for a sunset surf session. So fun to be a small crowd out on the boat. Loved laughing and singing with Tyler and Megan. Ty did so great surfing. When the sun goes down we headed back to the houseboat and ate Carnitas for dinner. Then one last seven wonders Armada partner game, which Chris and I won.
Nice Megan!
Thursday
Another great night sleep. My battery operated fan purchase was definitely a good idea! Chris was already helping with breakfast when I got up.
We played a couple games of Azul and then Quixxs after lunch. Then John And Nikole and the older teens headed out for a sunset surf session. All except Megan, who I found curled up on my bed when I went in to read a book. 10 minutes later Chris found the bed full. I moved over to make room for him and he was out fast. I rested for 15 minutes and then read. Then I invited some of the kids to come hiking with me up on the hills around the houseboat. Such a beautiful area. So nice to have found this cove all to ourselves. We had leftovers for dinner but most people didn’t feel like eating much. All of the adults including Ryan Cassie and Katie sat around the table evaluating the food we brought and what to change for next time. It led to laughter and jokes and just good quality time until midnight. Love being together.
Friday
Last early run of the week and I decided to join them instead of sleep in. It’s always fun to see the lake just before dawn when the water is glass and the colors are beautiful. Later in the day after lots of begging from the kids, Rob took the kids out to do some tubbing.
It was a good tubing session but it ended with one jump that went straight up and straight back down which jarred Cassie’s back and immediately put her into a lot of pain. It gave us a good scare. Ryan got her to the back of the boat and we paused before moving her too quickly as she recovered her breath. The kids in the front of the boat were worried. When I glanced back at them and saw their concern I mouthed ‘pray for Cassie’. They immediately bowed their heads, folded their arms and whispered prayers. I was overcome with emotion and so grateful that within a minute Cassie was standing up and heading inside the boat. Her back was a little sore for a day or so but she recovered ok. So grateful.
Ryan carefully watching over his fiance.
After dinner we went on a group boat ride over to another close cove for a family swim. We explored a cave and a mud filled revine and had a great time together.
Grateful to have my whole family together on this Johnson Vacation! Thanks to John and Nikole for another great Lake Powell week.
