Lake Powell

The last two days brought an unexpected detour and another major highlight of the trip. We had planned to head straight for Durango from Bryce Canyon, but I couldn't resist a look at Lake Powell after reading about it in my National Parks book. We were driving by about 5:00 on Friday, and one look at the campground and lake had Zoe begging to stay. Miraculously, there was one spot left in the whole campground, so it seemed like we were meant to stay. At that point we only planned to stay that night and leave first thing on Saturday. However, it was one of the prettiest campgrounds we've ever seen, and we had access to the resort's wonderful pool, so we soon decided to stay on for Saturday as well. 

At that point the lake became irresistible! We decided a day in a speed boat was too tempting to resist. The kids had never been in one before, and they couldn't believe how much fun it was to blast along the lake with the sun and wind in their hair. I even managed to get up on water skis a couple of times--something I wasn't sure my 40 year-old bones could still accomplish! 

But beyond the thrill of the speed boat, this was the most unique experience we've ever had on a lake. We wound our way through desert canyons where the cliffs literally reached straight out of the water over a thousand feet above us. The water was the perfect temperature, so we were able to jump in as often as we wanted for relief from the 100 degree plus temperature. There were literally thousands of small coves to explore, so we felt isolated on the huge lake, stopping from time to time to allow the kids to explore the desert rocks. 

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to charge my camera, so we missed capturing one of the most beautiful spots of the trip. I guess that means we'll have to return one day....