No, this is not a repeat post:  we really did go to Lake Powell twice within a month – this time with my family!  I had a crazy week leading up to the Thursday when we left.  I had a “perfect storm” work situation on Wednesday and Zach, sensing my stress level was high, let me go get a manicure and pedicure the night before we left.  Because he’s amazing.  I rewarded him by stopping through the drive-thru at Swig for  Dirty Dr Pepper on my way home.  

We left Thursday around lunchtime and Sloan slept for over an hour in the car in lieu of nap time.  Considering it is a 7 hour drive to Page, AZ on average – we were thrilled she got a decent nap in.  We made a few stops along the way, but made it to LP in record time!  6 hours, almost on the nose.  When we arrived at our rental house [this is something new to us, we usually stay in a hotel] we were blown away by the location.  You could see the dam from the back screen door – along with wild bunnies roaming the grass of the back yard.  

My parents, brother, and sister-in-law showed up an hour or so after we arrived.  The ladies went to the grocery store to stock up for lunches and dinner, while the men ordered pizza back at the house for dinner.

The next morning Sloan was up bright and early – and we all got fed and out the door around 8:30.  We were on the water quickly and set out through the channel to find a good spot to spend the day. 

We had lunch on the water and Sloan got to go tubing with everyone – literally every single member of the family.  Fist pumping and all…

She even took a short nap while I held her as we traveled through the channel. 

By the end of the day – Sloan was wiped.  She had enough fun in the sun to last her the whole week.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am that she doesn’t hate her life jacket…
That night we pulled off the lake and went to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant.  It was surprisingly good – definitely better than previous dining experiences there.  We put Sloan down for bed once we were home and then spent the rest of the night eating ice cream and watching the Olympics.

The next day we set off for Navajo Canyon.  We decided to give Sloan a try skiing again – even though I was more nervous than ever considering it was behind a boat this time and not a jet ski.  To up the ante even more…it was in the middle of a canyon and not in a quiet little cove.  She wasn’t thrilled at first [she thought that getting off the boat meant she could play on this giant rock island we had pulled up to] but as soon as we got her secured in the ski, my dad sped up and she was as happy as could be.

I wish her smile was more visible beneath he pacifier – I forgot to take it out beforehand – because it really does make her very happy.  At one point she even let go of one hand and was riding cowboy style with a hand in the air. 

We took a dip to stay cool after lunch, and Sloan was in heaven.

I even got to slalom ski – which I haven’t done in about 4 years.  I was just pleased to get up, it is harder than I remember it being a while back. 

We didn’t make it too much farther up the canyon until we had a little mechanical issue with the boat.  We spent some time swimming while my dad and brother tried to fix the issue – but we didn’t have any luck.  Luckily, a friendly group of people towed us back to a giant sand bar where we tried to radio into the marina for some assistance.  We didn’t catch anyone – so Zach, Sloan, and I rode back to the marina with that friendly group to send help back to my family in Navajo Canyon.  I was so grateful to that group of people who were kind enough to take us back.  It would have been a long evening stranded on the lake with a hangry toddler if it weren’t for them.  Once we got back to the marina – Sloan and I went back to the house while Zach rode back to Navajo Canyon with a complete stranger he talked [and bribed] into towing my dad’s boat back to Antelope Point.  Sloan and I knew the crew would be exhausted by the time they got back, so before I put her down for bed we ran to Walmart to buy some supplies to make homemade bread.  By the time everyone was back at the house – Sloan was bathed and asleep and I had started dinner.  We were all starving, so steaks, wedge salads, baked potatoes, and homemade bread definitely hit the spot.

The next morning we loaded up and set off for home again.  Sloan was an absolute dream for the 7 hour drive home – as long as we were in the car.  Once we stopped for lunch or bathroom breaks, she let loose and ran absolutely wild in the gas stations.  Like a caged animal.  But as soon as we were back in the car, she was as cool as a cucumber.

I’m really grateful for this tradition.  I basically grew up on this lake – and coming here every summer with my family left some me with some of my very favorite memories.  I’m so glad Sloan will be able to create memories of her own.  Maybe not THIS year…but in years to come.