Power of a Kayak

 "Should we take it?" 

That question was always asked as we prepared to pack for our annual trip to Lake Powell. Initially friends insisted on loaning us a kayak; eventually as a family we "earned" a kayak. (Read about it here.)

On the one hand, the kayak added a lot of weight to our already heavily loaded vehicle transporting the six of us, plus everything we needed-food, bedding, books, clothing (mostly swim suits), etc.- for the middle of nowhere for two weeks. Additionally it was one more item to load and unload from the car in the desert heat.

But almost every year the kayak made the cut. Why? Because on the other hand, the kayak could stop and go.

GO 

In various spots on Lake Powell, potty stations are set up. Beaching the houseboat near the Rincon around mile marker 77 is always one of our favorite spots. (The fact that military planes sometimes buzz by low in the canyon is just one of the reasons we love it.) Nearby is one of the potty stations and the perfect way to get there is a nice quiet kayak run. (Yes, the houseboat has a tiny bathroom with a small potty, but you never want to risk it filling up before the vacation is over.)

One scary night, when we were returning from an emergency in the dark, we were trying to navigate our little motor boat around the rocks to return to the houseboat. Because of lack of depth perception in the dark, we needed another point of reference. Daniel took the kayak out with a big flashlight to help solve the problem. Thank God, for the kayak. 

If you are a high school boy at Lake Powell, it is a long way away from the girls back home in Wisconsin. If you have a particular sweety you want to talk to, you need to navigate to where you can see the cell tower at the top Navajo Mountain. ...Often from one of the locations we frequent on the lake, you can see Navajo from the top of the rocks on the other side of the main channel about one mile away. The kayak is the perfect mode of transportation to get to the opposite side of the lake in order to climb the rocks at a chance for cell service. 

STOP

Although, we often have a houseboat full of people (read more here), part of the allure of Lake Powell is quiet time. You are a speck in the grandeur around you. You want to soak it all in.  A quiet paddle in the kayak to rest in the middle of nowhere is ideal. God designed us to rest-physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally. In Mark 6:31 Jesus said, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." (One of Lake Powell theme verses.) Our kayak time is valuable rest time. Rest is not just for the summer, but all seasons. To find more resources check out Run Hard. Rest Well.  How can you find rest?

We thank our friends, the Webbs, who began our tradition of the kayak, a tool for both going and stopping.