Traveling with my family is always fun, especially with all 12 cousins! We take two days to travel all the way to Lake Powell Utah, Where we are in the middle of nowhere. We get there with all of our sleeping bags, boats, and jet skis. The huge lake is clear and cool with the sand dunes and pounds of rock piled high up. We load up in the house boat and sleep while gazing at the stars. The Milky Way seems like a flowing sheet of silk, drifting through the sky. Everywhere you look, there is not a street light in sight. We sing songs and chat with each other while the wind blows. Then, around midnight you see lightning illumination the sky farther in the distance. About 20 minutes later the wind whirls fast and furious. The waves grow big and the sand blows in everyone’s faces. The wind gets so fast that if you stood up, it would be hard to stand there without being knocked down. The guys leap out of bed, in their boxers, while papa comes out in his Dr. Pepper underwear! Jumping in the water to secure this huge houseboat with ropes was a must. Then, the Jet Skis get loose of their chain and drift away. Swimming after them, the boys try to face the white-capped water. The storm is only here for around a half hour, and then it’s gone. Everyone drifts off to bed, trying to catch some sleep.

Rise and shine! When the sun peeks around the sand dunes, everyone is awakened by the thumping of kids running all around the boat, ready for another adventure. Finally getting up at sunrise, we all head to the boats to get some skiing and wake boarding in before breakfast. Tearing the smooth water before waves drift ashore, we are done. The rest of the day, we go exploring on jet skis, going around caves, and swimming. Having no service for our phones helps us get away from the rush of this busy world. It helps our family grow closer together. After dinner, our Nana has a tradition to have all of us make our own ice cream. We bring all of our food and store it in the fridge to keep cool, because it’s too hot to keep outside. By using ice, salt, cream, vanilla, sugar, and a baggy, we shake up our cold yummy desert. Every summer we make this amazing ice cream treat. Then, we build a campfire and roast marshmallows. My brother plays the guitar while we look up at the beautiful stars. You could fall asleep looking at the beauty of that picturesque place. I am longing to go back in the summer, which has been a tradition in our family for generations.