The Boat Rental

We love the water. We love to swim in pools or at lakes, or as we recently discovered, in the ocean.

It's all good when you're by the water.

We have made it a yearly tradition to head up to Bear Lake every summer for a week as a family. The boys are little enough that they love just playing in the sand, but they also love it when We rent SeaDoos. I love to rent the fastest SeaDoo that they have. It is such a rush to be going that fast. Someday- hopefully soon- I'd like to head up to the lakes that people tell me are nearby where we now live and rent some.

This last year we also rented a boat for an hour to try that out. Everyone had a blast, except the 4yo, who was pretty freaked out by the entire experience. It ended up being pretty windy that day, and we had 2-3 foot swells. That's pretty big for a little boat with newbie boaters in it. I of course, thought it was great fun and tried to see how much air I could get with the boat.

That had to stop when everyone was screaming for me to stop and I just about gave my wife whiplash. Sorry sweetie! Then I practiced driving along the top of the wave, for a smooth ride. That was pretty fun.

Once the waves died down, it was time to try the tube. The 7yo was the bravest, and hopped right in. You can tell from the photo that he had a blast. He's a pretty good swimmer, but it was a bit scary to let him be out there alone. I didn't try too hard to knock him off the tube with crazy quick turns and such. My wife tried riding the tube, but she had a hard time holding on , so she gave up quickly. At least she tried! She's a good sport.

I really wanted a go at the tube, but that would involve her driving the boat for a bit. She was scared, but she did it for me. I told the boys about having a lookout and holding up the flag if the rider(me) falls off. I was ready to go!

I jumped in the water, which was pretty chilly for August, and pulled myself up on the tube. I smiled and gave the thumbs-up to start the ride. It started slowly with the driver getting used to the controls. I gave the thumbs-up for more speed. She obliged, and off we went. She was really flying and I was really getting a beating. There were still some pretty big waves out there. I was just about knocked off the tube by a big wave and I looked up at the boat. My wife was focused on driving and the kids were focused on what was ahead. No one was focused on me! If I let go, I be adrift in the middle of that lake and they wouldn't even know! I don't think my wife and kids would have been able to find me. I would have been found days later by a steamer from the merchant marines, or something. Maybe the Bear Lake Monster would have eaten me.

On we went, the short train with a caboose of terror. My wife was really getting into the speed, the waves were doing their best to knock me off the tube, and I was holding on for dear life! I was yelling like an American Idol early-rounder, trying to get someones attention. This went on for probably 6 hours (maybe 5-10 minutes) until one of the kids noticed me and told my wife to slow down. My arms and hands were numb, and I was glad the ride was over, but it was still a lot of fun.

Look at me! Capt'n Jefferson!