Lake Powell

On the weekend after the excitement of receiving a mission call, Tom headed off to Lake Powell in southern Utah with a family from our ward.  The famous Lake Powell is a place that I have heard so much about, and unfortunately will probably not be able to visit during our time here.  We are running out of 'vacation' time, and the drive to Lake Powell is about 8 hours journey!  It has been described to me as being much like the Grand Canyon, in that it is set in the Canyon lands of southern Utah, not far from the Arizona border, and filled with deep, clear water.

To quote from an internet site,  "Lake Powell is located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, is one of the world's great places for houseboating! The 186-mile long lake offers sandy beaches, cool blue water, and exceptional red-rock scenery. It is excellent for boating, skiing, kayaking and fishing, or explore any of its many canyons or sand dunes. With a shoreline longer than the whole western coast of the continental United States, Lake Powell offers adventure for everyone."


Wake-bording at beautiful Lake Powell




And so this is what you do if you go to Powell.  Get yourself a houseboat along with a speed boat for water sports and you are set for the duration!  It sounds the perfect holiday, relaxing on the houseboat, sleeping in cabins or out under the stars on the deck.  Spending the day perfecting water skills, swimming, eating and then do it all over again!

Since we have to be content with being armchair tourists this week, we have enjoyed Tom's account of the beautiful scenery and clear waters "that are as warm as a bath" along with his spectacular action photo's!  I am so glad you had this opportunity to experience this amazing place Tom!

Some cliff jumping!

Some fishing..

A bit of entertainment by the fire!

And more wake-boarding..

Meanwhile, the rest of us spent a quiet week relaxing after our California trip!  A much needed rest was very welcome.  I spent my time dabbling in some painting and researching some Family History, both of which are becoming very addictive!

Rick was able to call the Missionary Department, as straight away we saw an issue with Tom's departure date.  To explain, Tom was to report on the 7th December and we are leaving the US to return to Australia on the 11th December.  Rick has a J-1 Visa, which is a working, independant visa.  The rest of us have a J-2 Visa, as dependants of Rick.  We are able to leave the country without Rick (as I did in February), but we can't stay here without him.  So, this makes it difficult for Tom to be in the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC) without Rick in the country in that time frame.  The simple solution from the helpful Missionary Dept, was for Tom to report 6 weeks earlier as per the transfer system.  So, now he reports on the 26th October 2011, and will have his birthday in the MTC.  I can see a very busy time just ahead of us!  Exciting, but daunting..