He Asked… and I Said Yes! Our Nevada Engagement

If you have followed or stumbled across my blog, you are probably aware that there is a very special man in my life. He is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me and makes me the happiest girl in the world.

Not only does he love to travel with me, but we genuinely enjoy 100 percent of each other’s company. He is my best friend, and I know I am a better woman with him by my side. Over the last four years we have faced plenty of obstacles, but every time we work through them we somehow come out stronger and with even more love for each other.

I have no doubt in my mind that he is the man I want to spend every moment with for the rest of our lives. That is why it brings me so much joy to finally announce our engagement.

Since we have lived together for years and talk about absolutely everything, the idea of getting engaged was not exactly a surprise. We had actually been looking at rings for quite some time and talking about our future plans together.

We ended up finding an amazing jeweler in Salt Lake City called Tresor Jewelers. This family owned shop helped us design the most beautiful rings and made the whole experience really special. I would recommend them to anyone. Once the ring was finished, the waiting game began.

By this point we had already told our close friends and family about our plans to get married. Many people were already congratulating us and asking about wedding plans. But there was still one thing missing. The official moment.

Even though we had chosen the ring together and knew our future plans, Shane still wanted to surprise me with the right moment and make it meaningful.

This past weekend we took a trip to Nevada and spent the night in Ely. Our destination was Great Basin National Park, but the weather ended up being too rainy and cold for camping. Since the park is pretty remote, Ely was the closest place to stay.

That evening we had an incredible steak dinner at the Jailhouse Dining Hall, then tried our luck on a few slot machines before heading to bed.

The next morning we woke up early and drove toward Great Basin National Park for our 9 AM tour of Lehman Caves.

Lehman Caves are a bit different from other caves we have visited. In the early 1900s people actually used to party and camp inside them, so there is some damage and even man made markings in certain areas. Thankfully the cave is still living and much of its natural beauty remains.

During the tour something unforgettable happened.

At one point the group ahead of us had moved forward and the group behind us had fallen back. Shane and I ended up alone in a long passageway of the cave. I was walking in front when I suddenly heard him say my nickname, “Nina.”

I turned around and he was down on one knee.

The cave was dark, but he was holding a ring box with a small built in light that made the ring sparkle. Then he asked the question.

“Will you marry me?”

Even though I knew it was coming someday, I had no idea it would happen there in that moment. My heart skipped a beat and the word yes came out of my mouth faster than I could think.

It was absolutely perfect.

Afterward we hurried to catch up with the tour group, both of us smiling from ear to ear while no one had any idea what had just happened. It was incredibly romantic and such an exciting moment for us.

I could not be happier and I am so excited to start this next chapter of our lives together.

We had to stop and got out of the car for this picture.

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Winter Weekend in Moab: Arches, Petroglyphs, and Dinosaurs

Shane and I had a rare weekend off together in January, so we decided to take advantage of living in such a beautiful state and plan a trip to Moab.

We stayed at the Aarchway Inn, which is just a few minutes from Arches National Park. We drove in Friday night, checked into the hotel, and went to bed early so we could start exploring at dawn the next morning.

Luckily, we visited during the off season. Believe it or not, we barely saw anyone during our entire first morning in the park. Until about 10 a.m. we had most viewpoints completely to ourselves. It was really nice to enjoy such a vast and beautiful place without crowds or people competing for photos.

We started at the front of the park and worked our way toward the back.

Our first stop was Park Avenue Viewpoint. There is actually a trail there, but we decided to skip it because we were excited to get closer to some arches.

The views were incredible and it was a great place for panoramic photos.

As we continued driving through the park, we stopped at almost every pull off along the road. Each viewpoint had something unique to see.

Our next stop was Balanced Rock. The first thing we noticed walking around this area was how soft the sand felt. It almost felt like walking on a beach, which was surprising in the middle of the desert. There were also some fascinating plants growing around the area.

Finally we made it to our first arch of the day, actually two arches. This is Double Arch. Shane deserves a shout out here for patiently watching me jump a hundred times while trying to get the perfect photo.

Standing beneath Double Arch was incredible. It is an easy walk from the parking lot and a great place to start a day of exploring.

Just across from Double Arch is Turret Arch. You can walk right up to it and even pass through the opening.

Nearby we found Sand Dune Arch, which quickly became one of our favorites. The path leading to it winds between tall rock walls and feels like something out of a science fiction movie. Inside the arch the sand is soft and the light filters down through the rocks in a really beautiful way.

It was a little disappointing to see that part of the area had been roped off due to vandalism. It is hard to understand why anyone would want to damage such a beautiful place.

After Sand Dune Arch we crossed a high desert plain and made our way to Broken Arch. The trail actually continues through the arch, but we decided to stop there and enjoy the view.

By around noon we had reached the far end of the park and started the hike to Landscape Arch. Since it was January there were still patches of ice on the trail, so we carefully walked along the edges of the path.

Landscape Arch was definitely worth the hike. It is incredibly long and thin, stretching gracefully across the sky.

At this point we considered hiking deeper into Devils Garden, but realized the trail would involve some rock scrambling. Since I tend to be a little clumsy, we decided to relax for a bit and then head back.

On the way out we stopped at the visitor center and then headed into town to find some food. We ended up at The Blu Pig, where we enjoyed some delicious BBQ after a morning full of hiking.

Before the trip I had set a goal for our Moab adventure:

Arches, Petroglyphs, and Dinosaurs.

Next up was searching for petroglyphs and dinosaur footprints along Potash Road. Unfortunately this part of the day was a little disappointing. There were many petroglyphs along the rock walls, but several had been surrounded by graffiti.

The dinosaur footprints at Poison Spider were also farther away than we expected. A chunk of rock had broken away and exposed them high up on a cliff. You can see them from a distance, but they are difficult to get close to.

To end our first day we took a scenic drive along the Colorado River and stopped at Lions Park so we could walk across the Moab Canyon Pathway Bridge.

We watched the sunset over the river, which was the perfect way to end the day.

Since winter sunsets happen early, we still had some time before bed. Instead of nightlife we decided to visit the small local movie theater in town. It is located just behind Burger King on Main Street and shows a few movies each night.

Day Two

Bright and early the next morning we headed back into Arches National Park to hike to Delicate Arch for sunrise.

We left so early that I accidentally wore my boot slippers instead of proper hiking shoes. They surprisingly worked fine, but I would definitely not recommend that strategy for anyone else.

The hike is a bit of a trek, but seeing Delicate Arch at sunrise made it completely worth it.

We spent some time sitting on the rocks, watching the sun come up and enjoying the view before starting the hike back down.

On the return trail we stopped to view some Ute rock art. These petroglyphs are protected behind barriers, which helps prevent damage.

After that we said goodbye to Arches and began heading out of Moab.

But we still had one last stop to complete my trip goal.

Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail.

This trail is not very well publicized, so it took a little effort to find. We saved directions beforehand because there is no cell service once you leave the main highway. The road to the trailhead is dirt, but my little Chevy Cruze managed it just fine.

The trail is self guided, with signs explaining the fossils and bones found in the area. We had fun trying to spot the dinosaur remains along the path. It would be a great place to bring kids.

After exploring the trail and spotting some sauropod bone fragments, it was finally time to head home.

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Moab for now.

But something tells me we will be back again soon.

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