Draft Short Essay #1

Day Ten: Lake Powell, Utah. At this point in the trip I experience beauty like none I have ever seen. Great sand dunes, mysterious ladies royal and elegant, wedged between massive snow capped mountains; a contrast created by their masculine splendor. Canyons so rich in color that they seem to  reflect the sunset and the entire world is cascaded in shades of golds and reds that I never knew existed. To say I wasn't affected would be a lie, but nothing prepared me for the enormity of Lake Powell.

Our boring blue Jersey license plates stand out next to the other cars as we pull in, Arizona, Utah, Colorado; just a handful join ours. It's just as beautiful here as the other spots we've visited. I wonder how we'll spend our day.

"Get your suit on. We're going swimming."

Thank God. It is a scorcher today. I haven't done much lake swimming in my life, being a shore girl, but I do like it. I only wish I brought my water shoes, because I know how mucky the bottoms can be.
The short walk to the lake's edge is full of intense heat, strange desert insects, and a deep want of being immersed into cool water. We reach the edge. I simply jump in.

There is no bottom.

I surface and hear laughter. Familiar faces full of laughter. They knew and didn't tell me.

"How deep is this lake?"
"Over 3,000 feet at its deepest. They flooded the canyon to dam it."

I take a deep breath. Go back under. Eyes wide opened, and look. I am totally amazed. My eyes see the same brilliant autumn colors under water that have captured me this entire trip. I can see clear across the canyon. I look down, it is an abyss. My heart races. Breath quickens. I swim a little deeper, a little further. Just a little.  My legs dangle helplessly below the surface. They look on in awe at my daring nature.  My heart beats quicken even more. It is cool and I shiver.

We camp there. Eat next to the lake. Water laps the edge of the canyon as if it is alive in its movement, and talk into the night before settling into our tents.

Two a.m., I am awakened by the primal sound of baying coyotes not far off in the distance.  I slowly unzip the tent and sit out for a few minutes staring up at the pale moon and the desert stars. It is cool and I shiver.  I fall back asleep peacefully, grateful for the day and the lake.