Another Eventful Powell Trip!

This time we went to Lake Powell with my family! Having a packing list was a huge help. We also left earlier this time witch was really nice. We caravaned down with my family and yes we had the right key to the house boat this time. Oh it was really nice trip. It was fun to have everyone there and we did some really fun stuff. It was really fun to have Cyd back as well. We made graffiti t-shirts and watches some movies (the weather was cloudy and overcast.) We did some tubing and climbed this gigantic sand hill. When we fist saw this huge sand hill we pulled the boat in and we were getting ready to climb the huge steep hill. There was another boat there with several young adults and they had a dog. The dog was totally fine and had come up and sniffed us and then gone back over to it's owners. Not long after that it came at my dad teeth baring and ready to attack! They had sent that dog over on purpose. My dad put his hands up and looked at them like... call off your dog. Their only response was "We have another boat coming and we are making camp here, just so you know! They didn't try to call off their dog or apologise in any way or form. They had sent that dog over. Who were they to make a hill like that. We weren't going to be there that long either. Oh I hate rude and dumb people. But this is was huge! It was just this really steep hill of just white sand. It was so cool. It was a really hard climb, it wasn't the climb that was the hardest it was that the sand was about 200 degrees. It was sooooo hot! We had flip flops on and my dad was in sneakers with a hole in the side so his sand just got trapped in his shoe, but we would run for 10 counts and then sit and recover from our burns and then take another 10 count. It was really steep and really hot. 

I think that it was the next day we had decided to go for a long boat ride. We were about an hour 1/2 into it and I was driving the boat and the power went way down. I hadn't done anything and we slowed way down. That is when Kris asked if I had done that? I told him I hadn't and he took over. We had stopped at a Marina that was close by and Kris went and talked to the mechanics. They asked where we were going and When Kris told them they told Kris that we would be fine. There was enough traffic and if anything happened we could just radio for help. So we pressed on. The boat seemed to be working fine and we got to Rambo bridge and enjoyed our little walk and then it was back to the house boat about a 2 hour ride. We passed the Marina that we had stopped at on our way up and we decided to keep going, because we hadn't had any problems. Just about 1/2 mile past the marina the boat just quit. Totally shut down! We tried using the radio and got no response so we sat there until we got the boat up and running again. We were able to make it the 1/2 mile back to the marina (Going very slowly). Kris went to talk to the mechanic, but he was nowhere to be found. Kris talked to the guy who was working with the gas and talked to him. The guy told us that the mechanic must be gone for the day or out on a water call. He then instructed us to go and talk to the ranger. Kris asked if I would go and talk with the ranger Laurie. I wasn't really sure where to find her and didn't see anyone in the rangers station so I went into the shop and asked if we needed a tow who do we talk to. The lady said that would be me. Then she asked who needed a two. I told her we did. She wanted to know where we needed a tow from. I told her from here to the other marina (about 1 1/2-2 hours away) She said that it was too late and that they wouldn't come out tonight and so we would have to say here tonight and then it would cost us over $250 for the tow the next day.  She was totally rude about it and was so mater a fact. Mind you this place is in the middle of the Lake, everything including gas is brought out on a barge. There is nothing around. and I mean nothing. So the only think I have going though my mind is my girls have to sleep on the boat all night with nothing but their blankets and towels, still in their swim suits with only a few diapers and not enough food for Stella. and then they will have to sleep in their life jackets all night long. Oh they both would love that! Seriously! The lady made me mad. Then I told her I was told to come and talk to the ranger Laurie. She looked and me and said exact words "You mean Lori? and this not the rangers problem or responsibility." By this time I was livid! Of course it was the rangers job to help us! What are they only supposed to give out tickets? I was totally bugged. I met Kris on the dock and told him what the ornery lady had said. He said to go and talk to the ranger and that he would go with me. I told him I was taking both our kids with us! Really did they expect us to stay on the Lake all night long? So we went in Kris, me , my mom, Molly & Stella. When we walked in she was so nice. She called the mechanic to find out where he was and he was on a water call, but also told us that the night before when he went on a water call he didn't get back till 10:30 pm. So she gave us some options. She told us that we could stay and wait for him, or we could spent the night there in a bunk house they had upstairs. I was so much better about this when I knew I wouldn't be spending the night on the lake with my girls. I would totally not have cared at all  about spending the night on the lake if I didn't have the girls, but with a 2 year old and 10 month old I was a bit worried. But when I knew there was an option I was totally good. We could make due with whatever else. She also said that she could take us all back to our house boat, or could take some back. Kris and I talked about it and decided that we should get the girls off the water before the storm that was rolling in really hit. I told him I was good with that. So then we decided that both girls my mom and three sisters would go with the ranger, and Kris would take the boat and try his luck at making it back with it. If he got stuck then he would spend the night on the lake. I told my dad I would go with Kris if he wanted to go back. I don't know if he just didn't want to be stuck with my kids or was really willing to risk a night on the lake with Kris. So that is just what happened. All of us girls went back with Lori the ranger. She was awesome and so nice. She has been doing this for 20 seasons. She was a music major. She was awesome Really! I felt so grateful to her for not just giving us options but being totally willing to help us out! We told her over and over how grateful we were. When I had expressed that again, she told me that she was happy to help and that at least we were looking for a solution and trying to help ourselves. I was just really grateful she didn't have the same attitude as the other lady. 

Our ride home in the rangers boat was hilarious. We were all in the back (picture the bed of a pick up truck, that is exactly what we were riding in.) The back had kind of metal box looking thing that 2 of my sisters sat on and Molly sat in the middle of them. They were right on the edge, nothing behind them but the motors and the lake. My other little sister sat on the floor with my mom, myself, and I held Stella. Both of the girls were really good. Stella fell asleep and Molly kept asking if Lori could come back with us and go down the slide. There was a point that we were going though a wake less part of the lake and Molly kept saying she wanted to go fast. Lori was really nice and explained we had to go slow, but to watch for the white bouys and when we passed them we could go fast again. When we got to the bouys she turned around and said "Did someone want to go fast?" She was really nice. My mom part way into the ride had to pull out a towle to sit on because the mat we were sitting on was so hard and it really was bumpy and we were it felt like we were flying. When we asked she said we were going kind of slow because of all the weight in the back (Still not sure if that was a fat joke or not j/k)  but we were going about 35-40mph and was really starting to hurt. The whole time I was getting hit in the face with a curtain that kept flapping in the wind. I looked at my mom as she took a picture of herself and then looked at it, I put a towel under my bum and my mom just started to laugh. I knew just was she was thinking. She has seen what she looks like, here big life jacket, hair blowing crazy in the wind, our tail bones hurting so bad, me getting hit in the face with that dumb curtain, not being able to move because Stella was asleep. I could not help it. I started to laugh. We both just kept laughing so hard we couldn't stop! I really don't think I have ever laughed that hard, really I was crying I was laughing so hard and I never do that. Oh it was so funny! This is one experience to chaulk up in the books! Oh it was so funny! I'm so grateful that Lori was so great and nice. We are very blessed and as I thanked her one last time she said "I think we made the right chose getting you guys off the lake and I will keep an eye open for your husband. I'm just glad we got you off the water before that storm really hit. 

Kris and my dad showed up not to long after we got home, but we did have to walk back from the launch ramp. They said as they left the marina my dad asked how long until they had the first proble. My dad said 30 min and Kris said 20 min. They said that it wasn't 2 minutes later that they had the first problem and then they went 11 mph the rest of the way back. Well we ate dinner and then did some swimming, but it was really cold and really dark and late, so we headed in for the night. We pulled the boat out of the water the next morning in hopes that it would be repaired and we could use it again, but no such luck. We did do some swimming and laying out, I don't know if you can call it that it was so cloudy, windy and kind of cold. The weather didn't ever really look good again until we left the next day! 

Oh Lake Powell is always an adventure! It was so funny though and I'm totally laughing about it now, I don't really have to wait a few weeks or months for it to be funny! It's funny now. How many people do you know that get to ride in a rangers boat, with out a major emergency, thank goodness! It was really fun. We had a blast. It was fun to be with my family! I'm just hoping the next time we go down the weather is better! All in all it was an awesome trip and a really memorable one as well.