perfect day

What a perfectly surprising day it has been! We woke up early this morning, before sunrise, roused the dog and walked down the hillside to the side of Navajo Lake. It is always surprising to come upon a large body of water in the middle of the desert, and this was no exception. After west Texas, Santa Rosa and Santa Fe desert, this was pretty incredible. We played on the rocks and admired the vastness of the lake in the pre dawn light, then stopped to observe the sunrise. I was ready to start the day's drive, but Ben convinced me to hang around for just a bit longer, and for good reason! Before I knew what exactly was happening, he was on one knee, asking if I would marry him. He gave me a wooden ring, carved from North Carolina drift wood as a place holder, and we drove to Farmington to find a replacement with a little more finesse. The ring we picked out was made by a local Navajo, and inlaid with desert turquoise, to serve as a constant reminder of where we got engaged, and also each other, as the dual tones of the stone are the colors of our eyes. After picking out the ring, we headed further west to the four corners (Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico). We each took a turn standing in all four states at once, and read a bit about the surveyors who created the monument. Driving through this barren, bone dry area, it really hit home some of the most negative consequences of westward expansion. It became apparent how little European Americans cared little for the legacy and culture of Native Americans. Our forefathers gave these ancient tribes the least productive/desirable tracts of land for their reservations. The Navajo Nations land consists of little but rock and sand, as far as the eye can see. Despite the harsh historical realities we were facing, neither of us could stop looking at the ring we had picked out, or thinking about the future. After the Four Corners, we headed into Arizona and made a b-line for the Grand Canyon. My fiancee and I made it just in time for sunset over Desert View on the south rim. At the end of a long day, full of joyful and beautiful firsts, we camped, just as we had many nights before. My engagement ring!