Lake Powell

Once we were done with the excitement of Girl's Camp (here), we came home and had exactly a day and a half to unpack the suitcases, wash all the clothes, and repack the suitcases.  This time for Lake Powell with our neighbors.
We worked in overdrive to get our laundry done and our bags repacked, as well as all of our errands to the store for supplies and the food that we were in charge of for the upcoming week.

Finally, that day and a half was gone and it was time to hit the road.
This is going to be another post where I try to cram a full week into one post, and there are a ton of pictures.

Our GPS thought we might enjoy driving through Capitol Reef on our way to Bullfrog so that's the way it took us.

there was a slight drizzle of rain as we drove through Capitol Reef

Even though that way ended up being a longer way to go, I'm so glad we did it.  I'd like to spend some real time in Capitol Reef now that I've seen a glimpse of it.

We stopped in Hanksville for gas and to stretch our legs.

The gas station was built into a cave.

After that we missed the turn to Bullfrog Marina and drove an hour out of our way...
But we don't mention that to anyone :).

Our neighbor Dave met us at the Marina (when we finally got there) and we loaded up our last minute gear that we had with us in our car.  Everything else we'd already loaded up with Dave and his family and they hauled it down with them on a trailer earlier in the day.
Our family got a later start since both Casidee and I had to speak in sacrament meeting about girl's camp.

Finally.

All the rush was over and we were there.

From here I could do a break down of each day but in truthfulness, it was all the same day after day, and I don't mean that in a tedious, monotonous sort of way either.

I mean it in the, I loved every minute of it and wished I could have had another day or two there way.
So I'm just going to throw up a million pictures and make a few comments and retell a few stories as I go.

For example, this is not called the banana like it says in bold lettering across the side, it's called the water wienie.
It doesn't matter if it looks like a banana.  It's a wienie.

And the number one requirement on the wienie is to do outstanding tricks, like a pyramid, or sitting on each other's shoulders (I did that one! I was on top too), you must turn from facing forward to facing backward, and then back again, and you must switch seats with someone else.

And when that gets boring, you get brutal and do your best to be the last one hanging on to the thing.
My last ride ended with me hanging off into the water with my arms around someone else's waist, hanging on for dear life, or at least with the thought that if I was going down, they were going with me.

Watch out for in water collisions. 

Jayme

Glowsticks on the beach

One day we took a little trip to see a cave/arch. 

The Man, me, Tayler, Noelle

Sophie, Casidee, Aumanae, Monet, Jeremy, Jesse

The older kids, including Cas, climbed up the back of the canyon wall to emerge at the top, underneath the arch.

me with Tayler and Noelle

And on another day we went to a flooded out cave and swam in it, even with threats of "sea monsters" in the dark water.

Cas, Mia, me

Tayler, me, Cas

me, Mia, Brynn, Tayler, Sean, Dave in the corner

Cali eventually took the plunge

One night Robyn pulled out snakes for the kids to light.
We had to put them down in one of the holes though, because the wind was enough that it was hard to keep things lit.

The Man

Cali is being the giant who attacks the castle

And then there was the cliff jumping.
Where Brynn proves she is not my daughter simply by the fact she'll do it.

Okay, I'll still claim her. 
It's amazing to me that she does it.

Noelle took a really big jump... and ended up butt flopping.

She came up screaming and raving mad because "that was supposed to be fun! That was not fun!"
That girl is all spitfire.

Jeremy did a backflip.

 Jesse took a leap off of the upper most top.

West and Jayme took the jump together.

Me :)

The houseboat was beached but there was a good drop off at the back, so the water was pretty deep off the back deck where the kids came off the slide.
The found that if they stood out there and threw cheerios into the water, little fish would come up and eat them.
They thought that was pretty cool stuff.

 Until a bigger fish swam up and ate the smaller fish.
They weren't so keen on that game after that.

Another houseboat down the beach from us let off paper lanterns one night.  You can see it there at the top, almost in the right corner.

As Aum goes over the edge:

"cheers"

 Also, everyone's a sucker for the skittles game.
Don't know what the skittles game is?
You take turns drawing out two skittles, without looking.
If they match, you chew them.
If they don't, you just hold them in your mouth. 
You keep holding them in your mouth, and adding to them until you get two that match.  Then you can chew.  But if someone else gets a match, it's their turn to chew.  Only one person can chew at a time.
The winner is the last one standing.
People drop out because they can't handle stuffing anymore skittles in.
Or the pure sugar sitting in their mouth starts making them feel sick.
We've found you need to have multiple bags going around the circle to make it harder and end faster.

 When you run out of skittles you end up with a five way tie.

Cas driving the boat

My requred hair-do for the girls for the week=no brushing, no tears, no doing hair for the rest of the time

Brynn and her glow sticks

Sean driving the boat

eat it Sophie!

 We baked in the sun, and melted in the heat, but then jumped in the water and life was okay again.
We ate like kings and laughed our heads off.
Thanks to Dave and Robyn for the invite to join your family at Powell.
We loved it.