Lake Powell Trip #1 - May 19 - May 24 (Theron's 63rd Birthday)

Where the mine was the memory trip for our kids as they were growing up, Lake Powell is not the memory trip each year for the kids and grandkids.  For the last three summers, we have had the perfect spots; can't believe it.  For over 30 years our group looked for these kinds of spots and could find only a few.  Hope our luck holds out in July when we go again.  We had a sandy beach, a shallow play pool, rocks to jump from and perfect hook-ups for the jet skis.

This trip we had Melanee's parents, Chrystal and Zoonie McLean and Melanee's good friend Jamie and her two boys Seose and Dillon.  Adrian, Todd, Cameron, Taylor, Curt and Melanee round off the rest of our group.  Scott and Marianne towed their boat down and hooked it up as an extension of the houseboat.  They brought their daughter Julie and three young granddaughters.  (Marianne was tired after this trip.)

The weather was a little bit of everything - sun, wind, rain, cloudy with a chance of sun, and pleasant.  This early in the season you never know what the weather will be or what the water will be like.  It was cold, about 60-65 degrees.  A little too cold for my body but the kids all played in it from sun-up to sun-down.  They used the paddle board, the long board, the kayak, the jet skis and all manner of buckets and shovels.

It should be noted that Theron celebrated his 63rd birthday this week.  This is how he celebrated - installing new battery boxes and hiding in the lower level all day. That night, he did get to wear a balloon birthday hat.

I have to comment that it is rather a joy to go on these trips with our children.  It's fun and it's a time to just sit back, read, and talk.  What can be better than that.

A Grand Trip to Moab - Beautiful Red Rock Country

May was a great month to go to Moab and the company was excellent - Scott and Marianne Robison stayed with us in our fifth wheel and Steve and Jackie camped in their fifth wheel.  Scott has a large trailer that held all the 4-wheelers and us and Duerdens carried our bikes.  Each day was a little bit of joy enjoying all the things about Moab.  The flowers and cactus were in full bloom, the desert was truly blossoming.

The first day Steve arranged with his friends, the Knowles, a 4-wheeling trip across the red rocks, to tunnel springs and beyond.  It was a great trip, a little windy, but that kind of helped blow the dust away from us as we followed along wagon train style.  Don't know how the pioneers stood all the dust in their eyes, hair and teeth.  Things got a little crazy when we were on the slick rock and Steve was trying to be macho by climbing hills that should be walked.  No one was hurt, it was a successful day.

The next day it was off to hike Corona Arch and see the splattered blood pools.  This is the arch that people swing from.  It was overcast and windy so I think that was why we didn't have entertainment - yea right, no one wants to splatter again like the last guy that tried it.

If you lose your way, stack rocks.  Everyone else has.

The next day it was off to Arches to ride the bikes.  Our initial goal was to ride all the way into and out of Arches on the bikes.  That didn't happen.  We drove to the last group of arches - double O and Landscape.  From there, Jackie and I took a short hike to Landscape.  Theron and Steve started down the road riding their bikes and we were supposed to pick them up down the hill.  Well, Theron had a better idea.  They found a dirt trail that led down so it was talk Steve into mountain biking with his coaster bike.  They rode from the top of Arches to the road leading up to Dead Horse Point.  Jackie and I picked up our bikes at  Arches main parking lot and road the 10 or so miles to meet them.  All total, Theron road about 50 miles that day.  What a stud.

That's the end of the trip, it was a short one, but packed full of activity.  Not bad for a group of "young" senior citizens.  Oh, you have to have the token flat tire on the way home.  Glad it was Scott.