Success!

After eight years of marriage, I finally took a turn planning the anniversary celebrations! Way to go me. :)

So since we have been living out in Erda (near Tooele) in my Grandma's house for the past several months, I figured it would be fitting to find something local to do. I thought about what is unique to the Tooele valley. The Great Salt Lake came to mind, and instantly I had a plan!

I remembered my Grandma telling me about how she used to take trips with friends to the Black Rock while growing up. Back then the water in the lake was higher and Black Rock was a popular swimming and beach destination. Now the water has receded and nobody swims there anymore, but the rock is easy to climb and offers a great panoramic view of the Great Salt Lake.

So that's where we went!

First we stopped for some takeout from a local pizza parlor.

Then we had a little trouble actually getting to Black Rock. You can see it easily from the freeway, but it is not easy to see how to actually get there! But as we drove by we could see cars right by the rock, so we knew there must be a way!

{at the "View Area" we stopped at during our search for Black Rock}

Then we figured out how to get there and drove over to Black Rock to have a little picnic on the beach.

We shared a chicken alfredo calzone, ceasar salad, Italian sodas, and cheesecake with strawberry topping. Yum!

The weather was threatening to rain, and it did start to sprinkle a little while we were eating.

{rainbow over Black Rock}

But it cleared up just in time for the sunset!

Rob is leaning his head so far forward because we took a photo before this one but his head was too far back, so in this photo he is overcompensating and leaning too far forward! We did get a third photo after this one with his head at a normal angle, but I like the playfulness of this photo better. :)

We are on top of Black Rock in this photo, but it is kind of hard to tell.

So there you have it! I finally planned an anniversary! Ok, so it was really simple and not anywhere as elaborate or thought out as some of the anniversary adventures Rob has planned, but it was still a great evening. Now I'm off the hook for another eight years, right Rob?!

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p.s. ... If anybody feels the desire to duplicate this evening, it might be helpful to know how to get to Black Rock so you don't have to waste a half-hour searching like we did! It's really easy. You just take the Saltair exit from I-80 W, then follow the signs toward the Great Salt Lake Marina, but before making the final right turn to go into the marina, continue onto a gravel road that goes straight ahead toward Black Rock. There are no signs, so it's kinda tricky. Just follow the gravel path for a little ways until you reach Black Rock. Off-road vehicle not required. We made the drive in our little two-door coupe. Happy Sunsetting!