The Curse of Lake Mead

Last summer we only made it to Lake Mead once. And as luck would have it, the wind blew hard all weekend long. We didn't even get to look at the water. Despite having a fun weekend, I was really looking forward to making up for it this year.

One year later we fell into the same situation: only one trip to Lake Mead this summer. We got to get in the water this year, but our luck wasn't much better. And again, doesn't mean we didn't have a great time.

The first day was awesome. The water was perfect and 90 degrees. The air was perfect, about 105 degrees. All I really wanted to do was soak up some rays.

The five of us (me, Skyler, Kenny, Jill, and Lola) headed out onto the water to scout out a beach. Along the way Jill and I got a few minutes behind the boat. Trying to fit into a life jacket was comical.

But I did it and it was awesome. The thought went through my brain, this is perfect...enjoy this moment. I couldn't have been happier. After finishing, I tried to roll onto the swim step with no luck. I finally got up, but looked like a beached whale. That's what happens when you lose your ab muscles.

Jill is still a pro. I want her skills.

We rode back to the marina to pick up the rest of the family. Dain seemed to enjoy getting pulled on the Jimmy Jam.

Niki was a natural. Before we knew it, she was riding without the rope.

David couldn't resist surfing with Dain.

And that's the end of the boat. After about an hour of use, it stopped working. We had no idea what the problem was, but there was no point in driving back to the marina. So we hung out in the water for the rest of the day. What could be better than floating in a lake all day with a large supply of snack foods? This floaty thing and I became good friends.

Lola went for the healthy snack route. I, on the other hand, chomped on chips, cookies, and soda.

Goofing around with the waterproof camera.

At the end of the day we packed up our stuff and slowly drove into the marina. Skyler talked to his dad about the boat and he said to give it another try the next day. Maybe it was just a fluke. The next morning Skyler headed to the marina to look at the boat and found it sinking. He said another hour and the boat would have been gone. (FYI-Turns out a construction error was to blame. The prop was too close to a water tube. A hole just happened to open on the day we were there and the boat started taking on water. Nothing we could have done to have prevented it. Just bad luck.)

We still had another full day with nothing to do (besides watch Be Cool), so we headed up to Zion National Park to do some hiking. Drove about 2-1/2 hours to get there, then took a shuttle to the trail we wanted. Loved the scenery.

It was beautiful there. Skyler was taking pictures of all of the animals. It was like he had never seen a squirrel before.

We hiked to where the narrows were, but a storm was brewing. It started pouring rain. We decided not to go any further.

Skyler and Kenny took a dip in the water. This water wasn't 90 degree Lake Mead water, so I passed.

After hiking back to the trail head, found this sign. Now I was really glad we didn't go any further.

We headed back to Lake Mead exhausted. I'm pretty sure that jumbo Mexican meal we ate made us all sleepy.

Driving back home the next day was awful. Too much time in the car for me. Being pregnant has brought pain to my waist where it hurts to sit for too long. I think it's because I'm bent in the same position. (I talked to my doctor about this yesterday and she said that my cartilage is soft and sensitive, so it hurts when anything touches it.) By the time we got down the Cajon pass, I was ready to cry. But I stayed strong for Lola because I didn't want her to see me cry and start crying too. I couldn't have been happier to get out of our car.

Lake Mead, next year we expect a perfect weekend.