Bear Lake

Bear Lake is one of our very favorite places to visit during the summer.  We had been excited for months for our trip there with the Crawford family.  It was kind of a reunion.  A chance to catch up together with our recently returned missionary Grandparents.  We stayed in some fun condos right near the beach and rented a boat.  Steve reserved the boat in March, and it was a nice one.  We both love boating and were excited to get out on the water.  Bear Lake didn't cooperate as well as we had hoped.  We had some bad weather two out of the three days, but we still managed to have a great time.

5 of the 9 Crawford cousins that made it to Bear Lake

Jack thought the best part of boating was holding up the flag.  That was before he tired tubing.

These two are inseparable these days!

This is the best family shot we could manage

Jack and Kynzie.  She's not only his cousin, but also his favorite babysitter!

Ella catching a cat nap on the boat.  She was a good sport like always.

We had to talk him into trying the tube, but once he got on he did not want to get off.  He kept yelling faster, faster!

Our handsome boat driver!  Steve was nice enough to drive us around most of the 3 days.

The boat we rented was great for wake surfing.  Steve could tell you all the specs, but all I know is it had two tanks that you could fill up to make either side of the boat heavier, and thus, make a nice wave.  Steve has wake surfed before and got right up and showed us how it was done.  I gave it a try and got up the first time.  Not too bad for a 30 year old.  I love trying new things and liked wake surfing quite a bit.  I didn't get it figured out too much in my few attempts, but liked trying.  Steve and I have said since we got married that we would be boat owners one day.  We've had a boat fund and everything.  We know they're not practical, but think that they're a lot of fun and good family time.  I think this trip changed our mind.  The wind picked up one day in the afternoon out on the lake.  We anchored the boat and let it sit while we waited for the wind to calm down.  It's not unusual for the wind to pick up in the afternoon, but it always seems to calm down in the evening.  A few hours later it was blowing harder than ever.  It was getting dark and we had to take the boat off of the water.  The lake was so choppy with white caps everywhere.  We had 5 men and two teenage boys, so we thought they could do it with our man power.  Steve drove the boat over to the dock and said that water was coming in over the bow every time he hit a wave.  Long story short, we're super lucky they got it out of the water safely.  The boat almost got blown into the rocks.  The waves were so strong that they were pushing Steve's truck sideways while it was backed into the water to load the boat on the trailer.  Not a highlight of the trip.  It did turn out ok though.  There were no casualties other than a few people with bumps and scratches.  The saddest part is that our boat dream is over.  The water can be so dangerous and unpredictable.  If we hadn't had so much help there's no way we would have had such a positive result.  So, now we need a new dream.  Any ideas???