Summer-time for a student generally means relaxation, having memorable
moments with your closest friends, and a lot of naps. Your house is filled with screams of laughter as your friends run around frantically for no apparent reason. Summer is a time for student relaxation, completely stress-free from school. You don’t have to constantly worry about that assignment you procrastinated on, and that is suddenly due tomorrow. That’s what summer is to a lot of students, but not me. Summer is going on an adventure at Lake Powell, my favorite place in the world.

Lake Powell, near Page, Arizona, is the beautiful place my family and I go to almost every summer. We’re eager to hop in the car for the eight-hour drive. Our truck, packed to the top with blankets and pillows for necessary naps along the way, tows our ponderous boat all the way to Page. I was always one of our suitcases would fly out of the bed of the pickup truck, but luckily it never happened.

It was time. Today, the day we anticipated for so long, was the day we loaded onto the houseboat. It was around seven o’clock, and even though I was drained, I still woke up. The red-orange sunset rose above the entire like, and it was beautiful. The relieving smell of the water reassured that it wasn’t a dream, and I was going to have the best time at the lake.

After packing the houseboat, we cruised across the lake slowly but surely. We had to find a decent cove, preferably one fairly secluded so we can float in the water the entire day. We turned the corner, and there was the perfect cove. It had towering red walls, two beaches at the very back of the cove, and enough floating-space than you would ever need. As the sun went down behind the cove, the light hit the canyon walls emitting a beautiful orange color. The warmth of the fire contrasted from the cold sand that covered our toes. The smell of the burning wood and marshmallows roasting was pure paradise. It couldn’t be any better.

The next day, we woke up to the sound of and obnoxious crow that sang his crude song early in the morning.  It echoed throughout the entire cove, so we had no choice other than to wake up. My family has a tradition of boating to Rainbow Bridge, a national monument in the heart of Lake Powell. It was naturally formed from the water carving out the sandstone walls, leaving a rainbow-like structure. We prepared for the hike up towards Rainbow Bridge, making sure to pack snacks, sunscreen, and a lot of water. The wind blew violently through my hair as we raced across the water in our boat towards the monument.

  We finally arrived, and tied the boat to the metal dock. Barely anyone was there, since it was so early. When I was a child, the hike up to Rainbow Bridge was unbearable. The mountain trail was long, steep, and most of the time the sun was beating down on the back of your neck. Nevertheless, it was entirely worth enduring to see a miracle of nature.

As we reached the end of the hike, the Ranger posted there welcomed us. He gave my sister and I little pamphlets on the history of Rainbow Bridge, complete with little crayons to fill it out. I scanned the page, and the sentence ‘Can you find the dinosaur track?’ stood out. I was eager to find this track, frantically searching the ground for any odd-shaped indentations. My sister called me over, claiming to have found the dinosaur track. She did, and we both looked at it in shock. Why the heck was there a dinosaur track at the top of Rainbow Bridge? The Ranger walked over towards us, and told us the brief history, and even showed us pictures of the dinosaur that made the print. My family and I walked all the way down the path, back to our boat. My mind was still astounded at the fact that I saw an actual dinosaur print at the top of a national monument.

We stayed at the cove for another six days, and I enjoyed every moment of it. We had more fires on the sandy beach, and relaxed in the water during the days. I smelled the grill cooking the savory food we later ate. And after the day was done, I listened out the window to the sound of the water hitting the shoreline. As I dozed off to sleep that night, I dreamt of that dinosaur standing on top of Rainbow Bridge.