Category Archives: Lake Powell

Time for a Christmas Pilgrammage

If you’ve been following along, you know that we like to create annual family traditions – all kinds but a number of them that involve experiences, especially travel experiences.  (If you are just tuning in, check out the wide variety of past posts over the to right…not all of them are highly entertaining but some like Max’s fight with the man o’ war in Maui and Mike’s escapades with the guys at Lake Powell are a great place to start!)

OK…so what in the world do we have up our sleeve for Christmas 2011?

More like where in the world…

AUSTRALIA, BABY!!!

Mike has been to Sydney before and had to return for business for a couple of weeks.  Never being ones to rest on our laurels, the kids and I decided to join him.  Australia is on our family bucket list, and this was perfect timing.  Not just because Mike was going to be there but because it’s SUMMER in Australia in December…and you know how we love the sun and water!

The good thing about flying there is that you nearly lose a whole day…that means less jet lag!  Even though we are staying nearly 3 weeks, who wants to have a bunch of downtime trying to get that body clock straightened out?  Not us!  So we hit the ground running right from the plane (ok, right from customs)…

What did we do first?  Check it out here!

Booze Cruisin’ and Cabo Wabo

Of course, we couldn’t go to Mexico without the kids and not enjoy the libations and the music!  Yes, the biggest reason for the trip (besides getting the hell away into some sun) was to see Sammy at his birthday bash, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t branch out into other venues.

On our first night, we got on the Cabo Escapes Booze Cruise.  (Mike had flown in a day early and heard this party on a boat dock the night before.)  They did not disappoint.  The on-board entertainment was fantastic – we spent most of our time on the upper party deck (vs. the lower food-centric one).  We met some new friends from Missouri (within 30 miles of home no less!) as well as some from California.  There were all ages, too from 5 year olds to 80 year olds (who could cut a rug!).

As a side note, we had an issue with our reservation not being shown so we paid again at the boat loading.  We received a response and a refund of our double payment within 4 hours of our notifying Cabo Escapes.  Just one more reason we highly recommend them!

The next night was THE night we had been waiting for!  Sammy’s birthday party!  Hard to believe this man is in his 60’s…we can only hope to be doing what we love, living life on our terms and to the fullest the way Sammy is.  This was the fourth and final concert of his birthday bash series – and it was an outside block party.  Cabo Wabo shots abounded and the music rocked (of course!).  Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) introduced Sammy.  Michael Anthony played bass.  A birthday cake to the face rounded out the evening.  Now…if we’d just been able to try Sammy’s new rum…that may call for a trip to Maui!

We plan to make it an annual tradition…along with Copper, Table Rock lake and the Powell guys trip.

One last view…

Jen

Flashback: September 2010…Mike Does Lake Powell

One of the best things about the lifestyle we have as a family is that we do great things as a family – enjoying time together and making great memories. We also think it’s important that each member gets to enjoy their own things, too.

If you’ve been around a bit (and it doesn’t even have to be that long really), you’ll recognize one of the themes here is being outside, enjoying the sunshine and water (when it’s warm enough – not so much into the Polar Plunge even for a great cause). Water, boarding and sunshine…it all comes together for one last hurrah at Lake Powell for Mike in September.

Around mid-September (although sometimes later), Mike and a group of guys (including his brother, Tom) head out to this lake to “camp” on a GIANT houseboat with wakeboard boats in tow. Days of boarding, surfing (yes, surfing behind a boat), hanging out and eating guy food…in the sun and on the water. Mike calls it the most beautiful place he’s seen – at least in the continental U.S. That’s saying something ‘cuz he’s kinda picky. 

This could be Mike…or not

Geography lesson alert!  Lake Powell is 186 miles long with a shoreline longer than the whole western coast of the continental United States.  It’s part of Glen Canyon National Park – which will explain why 1) there is no development; 2) no cell phone service; and 3) the pics below.

Imagine how big it is if you’re really there…
….or here…

We love that he gets to do this – and that each of us has our own thing as well as what we get to do and see as a family. Now…we’re just trying to figure out if we can get the RV with the boat behind it out there next summer…where did I put that atlas?

~Jenn