Lake Powell

While we were still in Brazil the ECE department head contacted me to see if I would be willing to teach a class this fall. I am now teaching the beginning Electrical Circuits class. It's a lot of work, but I enjoy being back with the students. We are also working to get the house back in order.

We had visits from three nephews this month even though we no longer have a guest bed. Steve and Melissa visited from Washington, Nathan from St George, and Grant from Minnesota. We really enjoy having contact with family.

The highlight of the month, however, was a houseboat vacation on Lake Powell. Elder Hall, from Brazil, has a houseboat and invited several missionary couples for a few days on Lake Powell. This is something we had always wanted to do, but had never had the opportunity. Part of my agreement to teach at USU was to be able to take off for events previously planned. Here is a rundown of our week at Lake Powell.

Sep 5 (Mon)

            Today we got ready for our trip to Lake Powell and left after lunch. We went as far as Richfield where we stayed in the Fairfield Inn. 

Sep 6 (Tue)

            This morning we went to the cemetery in Richfield to take pictures of headstones for several of my ancestors, the Beans, Bakers, and Haywards.

Tombstone for William and Ruth Hayward

We left Richfield and went to Bryce Canyon, getting there about noon. We ate lunch at the amphitheater then walked along the rim trail to the trailhead of Queen's Garden. We took the Queen's Garden trail, crossed over to the Navajo Loop trail and walked up Wall Street to the rim. We could see the changes due to the rock slide they had several years ago. 

Lunchtime at the amphitheater

Walk along the Rim Trail

Pretty hiker on the trail

Time for a rest 

Entrance to the Queen's Garden

Queen's Garden

Decision time

Rock slides on the Navajo Loop trail

Wall Street

Back to the rim

After the hike we left the Bryce Canyon and went to Page, AZ to get some supplies then to the marina in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. We finally found Craig Hall then put our things in carts and took them to the houseboat. Tonight we slept under the stars on the top of the boat.

The houseboat

Sleeping deck

The marina at night

Sep 7 (Wed)

            This morning we got up about 6:30 AM and went to the restrooms and shower on the marina dock. Several of us went to Denny's for breakfast. We waited for others in the group to arrive then got ready to leave. 

The houseboat ready to go

We left the marina about noon. Paul went with Robyn in one of the ski boats to make sure everything was OK when they tied the boats to the back of the houseboat. There are two ski boats. We had to be out from the marina and past a narrow passage before we could tie the ski boats to the houseboat.  

Hauling the ski boats

We continued on up the lake for a couple of hours to Padre Bay. It was a nice peaceful ride. Dwayne went out in his ski boat to find the best beach to camp. 

Padre Bay

In the afternoon we went out for a ride in the ski boats. We went up Face Canyon, which is a narrow canyon. The scenery is spectacular!

Ride up Face Canyon

What a life

In the evening we celebrated Brazil's Independence Day by playing games and singing. The bats were flying around and the stars were beautiful.

Brazilian missionaries on 7 de setembro

Sunset over Padre Bay

Sep 8 (Thu)

           Sleeping out under the stars lets us enjoy a beautiful sunrise. It starts with a little light then lingers until the sun finally rises. This morning we were responsible for breakfast. We had gluten-free pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit, and juice. It worked out well. We then cleaned things up and then got ready for the day's activities. 

Dawn on Lake Powell

Lake Powell sunrise

We all got in the ski boats and enjoyed a scenic ride to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. From the dock to Rainbow Bridge was an easy 1¼-mile walk through Navajo sandstone. A park ranger told us how the bridge was formed and some of the native stories about the bridge. 

Scenic ride to Rainbow Bridge

Walking from the dock to the bridge

Rainbow Bridge

The Brazilian missionaries

When we finished with the bridge we went to Dangling Rope Marina and had root-beer floats. They were the perfect treat for a hot day. 

Dangling Rope Marina

Rootbeer floats

 We returned to the houseboat to relax a little.

Cliffs by our camping site

Some of the men decided to go down the slide into the lake. Paul decided to join them. He put on a life jacket and slid into the lake. 

Slide from the houseboat

The water feels good

Sep 9 (Fri)

          This morning everyone seemed to wake up at about the same time (about 6:30 AM), which resulted in a line for the single bathroom. The group before us left a little mermaid in the sand. Several went out for early waterskiing. 

The Little Mermaid 

Mark Zaugg on the skis

This was our "on the boat" day to relax and do whatever we wanted to do - read, rest, work puzzles, play games, etc. In the afternoon we took a short boat ride to a shady spot for a swim in the lake. It was very pleasant. 

Two heads bobbing in Lake Powell

What a wet couple

Lake Powell scenery on the way back

Isn't she cute?

Paul played horseshoes with the some of the other men while waiting for dinner. His team won even though he doesn't know how to play.  

Paul playing horseshoes on the beach

Cliffs above the beach

Sep 10 (Sat)

           Diane: "This morning I woke up about 6 AM. It has been so pleasant to sit on our sleeping bags on pads and watch the sunrise. Bats are flying around silently and fish are jumping in the lake. It is a peaceful dawn to a new day. 

Beautiful morning for Diane

Once everyone was up we packed our things, ate breakfast, untied the boat and the houseboat, and headed back to the marina. It took a couple of hours to get back to the marina, refuel the boat, and get back to the dock slip. We helped straighten a few things and loaded our things into two carts. We said goodbye and pulled the carts to the car. 

Goodbye Lake Powell

We had a long drive home, but enjoyed our Lake Powell experience.

After we returned from Lake Powell we went to a Parade of Homes in the Logan area. We saw several nice homes, but the one we liked most was in Paradise. It had many nice features inside and a wonderful view. True, it was too large and probably cost more than $1,000,000, but it was fun to see.

House in Paradise

View of Paradise from the house