Lake Powell

Ahhh, the beauty of Lake Powell. For those of you what have never been to Lake Powell, it is a trip worth taking. There are many different ways to enjoy the lake, from camping, to houseboating, to lodges, to hotels. There is waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, boating, fishing, hiking, canyon exploring, swimming, etc.... the list goes on.
Last year at his work Christmas party Anna's Mom and stepdad won a free houseboat and ski boat rental for 5 days/4 nights. They planned well enough in advance to make sure that everybody who could make it on the trip was able to go. We made sure we were in town during the trip, and it turned out to be one of the best ever. It has been about 8 years since I have been to Lake Powell, and about 10 years for Anna, so we we excited to return and enjoy what it had to offer.

Here is the houseboat that we had. A nice little private bay, some beach to play on, and plenty of water to enjoy.


Group photo on top of the houseboat.


We spent one afternoon exploring some of the high cliff wall canyons. Here we are at the end of one of the canyons, my hair is windblown, Anna's eyes are closed, but the scenery behind us is beautiful. This is "Annie's Canyon"- probably named after my wife....


As I mentioned we got a houseboat and a ski boat. This was the first ski boat they gave us. A very beat up old rental that had some body damage and a very unreliable outboard motor. After a day of use, it actually broke down while Anna, her brother and sister, and Mom were near the Marina. Luckily they were close to the rental place and were able to track somebody down after they had closed. They were very nice and the guy told us that this boat was actually an employee rental boat that they shouldn't have even rented to us.


They were nice enough to give us this brand new (literally used only a few hours before us) boat to replace the old beat up one. It was much nicer and much more enjoyable.


Hours of each day were spent just lounging around. Jayda loved to play on the beach with her cousin Ryan, digging in the sand, collecting seashells and rocks, watering anything she could think of, and just floating in the tubes.


The kids were even brave enough to get in the tube behind the boat and go for a spin.


Jayda and Ryan on the beach.

You may have noticed that I haven't said anything about Addison and Lake Powell, that is because we decided not to take her. We were too nervous about her on the houseboat and being near the water for 5 days. She has no fear and no limits to keep her from jumping off, or wandering away. My brother and sister-in-law were nice enough to offer to watch her while we were gone. Thanks to you guys!

A little more fun playing on the houseboat and in the water. There was a little slide off the top of the boat that was a nice refreshing way to cool off.


Jayda stood and watched us all play on the slide, then she was kind enough to "help" us get out of the water by offering us her hand as we climbed out.


Overall a wonderful trip and one that we would love to repeat. Even though we had some rain the first day, and very strong winds most afternoons, it was still so nice and a great place to visit. Thanks to Anna's family for planning and carrying out this trip, and for letting us tag along!

Utah Visit Part II

It is finally time for Part II of our trip/vacation to Utah this summer. We have been back in Minnesota for a few days now (earlier then planned, but that is a whole different story). We decided that we needed to update the blog and share some photos for the few of you that read this blog.

We had a great time in Utah and were able to see a lot of friends and family, and have a lot of great experiences. It always seems like a busy time trying to do as much as possible, and see everyone- but this time we felt like we got most of it in and weren't too overwhelmed.

We had a great time swimming and hanging out with Todd's family for two different nights





We had a great BBQ with a group of our friends. We only get to see them once or twice a year, so it was nice that we all were able to get together one night and hang out. It was also fun to watch all of our kids interact and play together. Here is a photo of Jayda with two of her new friends.



I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy a early morning waterski trip with 2 of my brothers. We got up at 6:30am, and drove to Echo reservoir just past Park City. It was 45 degrees outside that morning, but that didn't stop us crazy men from enjoying a beautiful morning of waterskiing. Not sure what the water temperature was, but it didn't matter, we had a great time. We wore wetsuits to stay warm, we were the only boat on the entire reservoir, and the weather was nice and "warm" once the sun came out. Here is a photo of my brother braving the cold to be the first one in.


Nice water and great skiing. Thanks bro's!



Another part of our adventure in Utah included me doing a Triathlon. Yes, I said a Triathlon- the kind where you swim, bike, and run all in the same race! I have never done one before, but have always thought it would be fun. We found a fairly easy and novice triathlon in Utah that was going to be held while we were in town. I have trained on and off for a few months and was just hoping to finish and have a good time. Overall it went well and it was a fun experience. I did about as well as I expected, struggling with the running part, but enjoying the swim and bike part. Overall time about 1 hour 28 minutes, and about halfway through the group of 300 athletes. I enjoyed it more then I thought I would, and now that I know what it is like I just may have to train and do another one some time.... anybody want to join me?

Returning from the 13 mile bike ride


Heading out on the 5k run



At the finish line with my fan club!


At the finish with my trainer and number one supporter Anna (this photo was taken by Jayda too!)



Well, that is about all for this post. After this we went to Lake Powell for 5 days, and that trip is going to get a post of its own. Thanks for reading.