I woke up at 4am on Sunday morning in order to get to the airport for my 6am flight. I guess that serves me right for having my dad buy the tickets, but since he paid for them I cannot complain too much. He met me in Las Vegas, and we began our trip to southern Utah. We stopped in St. George to meet my sister, her fiance, and my niece and nephew for lunch. After eating, we were back on the road. Early afternoon, we arrived at my grandparent's house in Loa, Utah.
The rest of the evening was pretty laid back. We had dinner and visited before heading to bed early. Between my early wake-up call and gaining an hour, I was exceptionally tired.
My dad and I didn't have much planned for Monday either. We took a drive up the mountains to see some of the beautiful scenery southern Utah has to offer. We drove by Fish Lake and through Sheep Valley as my Dad fondly described his childhood memories of these places.
I collected some interesting rocks in Sheep Valley; some quartz, sand stone, and lava rock. Later that night when I was back at my grandparents house, I was playing around with some balanced structures.
On Tuesday, my dad and I drove up to Bountiful, which is in Northern Utah near Salt Lake City. My cousin, Clint, was getting married, and we drove up to see the reception and visit with the family that I rarely see. We also met up with Christopher and his girlfriend, Minsun. Here is a photo of my dad, Minsun and me at the reception.
On Wednesday, Christopher and Minsun drove down to Loa. They had taken a long route, through St. George, and they had picked up my niece, Ashlea on the way. In the afternoon, I borrowed one of my aunt's ATVs and took Ashlea for a ride. I even let her drive for a while. This might have been foolish judgment, and it resulted in my left foot getting bruised and swollen. Later that night, Shauna and Donavyn arrived.
On Thursday, we got up early to drive to Lake Powell. There was some problem with the adapter that connected the power cable for the camping trailer's breaks and lights to the truck. We took it to the local mechanic and he instantly fixed our troubles by selling us a new one. After being delayed almost an hour, we headed up to my uncle Dan's place, who was bringing along his boat. Once we were on the road, it took us about two and a half hours to reach the lake.
The area was filled with these small lizards that the kids (and occasionally myself) loved to chase around.
We found a good camping spot, set things up, and then had lunch. After eating, everyone changed into their bathing suits, and we headed for the lake.
We brought chairs along so that some of us could hang out on a sandy section of the opposite shore while others were enjoying a boat ride. My uncle had quite a variety of toys that one could ride while being pulled behind the boat; 2 wake boards, water skis, a freeboard, and a tube. I became most fond of the freeboard because it was fun, easy, and it didn't hurt my foot. You could ride it on your stomach, on your knees, or standing up.
Christopher took several turns on the wake board. He was the best out of everyone (except for our uncle Dan). His snowboarding and althletic background really showed through.
Minsun tried wake boarding, freeboarding, and waterskiing all for the first time. She was quick to pick up all three; obvious natural talent.
Both of the kids really enjoyed the freeboard.
The air temperature was really hot by my standards. I felt woozy and sluggish. Swimming in the cool lake was a very pleasant relief!
When we decided to pack it in, we headed back to the campsite to change and get cleaned up. My dad took us all out to dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the lake. The view was magnificent! The sunset that night was also very beautiful.
Once it got dark, I started to play with my poi. This turned out to be a big hit with the kids. Ashlea and Donavyn took turns trying to create their own patters. They were fascinated.
The heat made it difficult to sleep. This only added more time to my growing bank of sleep deprivation, which had been accumulating ever since the beginning of the trip.
Friday morning we set out on the boat again for one last spin. We didn't bring any chairs this time, and instead decided to pack everyone onto the boat all at once. Instead of sticking to the wide section of the lake we had spent Thursday on, we took off for the narrow canyons to the south and explored the lake a bit more.
I made the mistake of jumping into the water with my sunglasses on. I was unable to retrieve them before they sank... sad moment
The area of Lake Powell we were at was named Bull Frog because of this mountain. Can you see the frog?
On the drive back to Loa, we stopped at this charming little souvenir shop/gas station. Since I no longer had sunglasses, I bought a hat to hide my face from the intense sun.
After saying goodbye to my grandparents in Loa, Christoper, Minsun and I headed for Las Vegas. As we drove through St. George, Christopher called his mother, Cynthia, and she desided to come along too. The four of us had a good time walking around the city. The sheer gaudiness of Vegas floors me everytime.
On Saturday morning I headed back to Seattle. Overall, it was a great trip!
The rest of the evening was pretty laid back. We had dinner and visited before heading to bed early. Between my early wake-up call and gaining an hour, I was exceptionally tired.
My dad and I didn't have much planned for Monday either. We took a drive up the mountains to see some of the beautiful scenery southern Utah has to offer. We drove by Fish Lake and through Sheep Valley as my Dad fondly described his childhood memories of these places.
I collected some interesting rocks in Sheep Valley; some quartz, sand stone, and lava rock. Later that night when I was back at my grandparents house, I was playing around with some balanced structures.
On Tuesday, my dad and I drove up to Bountiful, which is in Northern Utah near Salt Lake City. My cousin, Clint, was getting married, and we drove up to see the reception and visit with the family that I rarely see. We also met up with Christopher and his girlfriend, Minsun. Here is a photo of my dad, Minsun and me at the reception.
On Wednesday, Christopher and Minsun drove down to Loa. They had taken a long route, through St. George, and they had picked up my niece, Ashlea on the way. In the afternoon, I borrowed one of my aunt's ATVs and took Ashlea for a ride. I even let her drive for a while. This might have been foolish judgment, and it resulted in my left foot getting bruised and swollen. Later that night, Shauna and Donavyn arrived.
On Thursday, we got up early to drive to Lake Powell. There was some problem with the adapter that connected the power cable for the camping trailer's breaks and lights to the truck. We took it to the local mechanic and he instantly fixed our troubles by selling us a new one. After being delayed almost an hour, we headed up to my uncle Dan's place, who was bringing along his boat. Once we were on the road, it took us about two and a half hours to reach the lake.
The area was filled with these small lizards that the kids (and occasionally myself) loved to chase around.
We found a good camping spot, set things up, and then had lunch. After eating, everyone changed into their bathing suits, and we headed for the lake.
We brought chairs along so that some of us could hang out on a sandy section of the opposite shore while others were enjoying a boat ride. My uncle had quite a variety of toys that one could ride while being pulled behind the boat; 2 wake boards, water skis, a freeboard, and a tube. I became most fond of the freeboard because it was fun, easy, and it didn't hurt my foot. You could ride it on your stomach, on your knees, or standing up.
Christopher took several turns on the wake board. He was the best out of everyone (except for our uncle Dan). His snowboarding and althletic background really showed through.
Minsun tried wake boarding, freeboarding, and waterskiing all for the first time. She was quick to pick up all three; obvious natural talent.
Both of the kids really enjoyed the freeboard.
The air temperature was really hot by my standards. I felt woozy and sluggish. Swimming in the cool lake was a very pleasant relief!
When we decided to pack it in, we headed back to the campsite to change and get cleaned up. My dad took us all out to dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the lake. The view was magnificent! The sunset that night was also very beautiful.
Once it got dark, I started to play with my poi. This turned out to be a big hit with the kids. Ashlea and Donavyn took turns trying to create their own patters. They were fascinated.
The heat made it difficult to sleep. This only added more time to my growing bank of sleep deprivation, which had been accumulating ever since the beginning of the trip.
Friday morning we set out on the boat again for one last spin. We didn't bring any chairs this time, and instead decided to pack everyone onto the boat all at once. Instead of sticking to the wide section of the lake we had spent Thursday on, we took off for the narrow canyons to the south and explored the lake a bit more.
I made the mistake of jumping into the water with my sunglasses on. I was unable to retrieve them before they sank... sad moment
The area of Lake Powell we were at was named Bull Frog because of this mountain. Can you see the frog?
On the drive back to Loa, we stopped at this charming little souvenir shop/gas station. Since I no longer had sunglasses, I bought a hat to hide my face from the intense sun.
After saying goodbye to my grandparents in Loa, Christoper, Minsun and I headed for Las Vegas. As we drove through St. George, Christopher called his mother, Cynthia, and she desided to come along too. The four of us had a good time walking around the city. The sheer gaudiness of Vegas floors me everytime.
On Saturday morning I headed back to Seattle. Overall, it was a great trip!