desert waterfall hike, lower calf creek falls

After driving over the hogback, a narrow section of road with steep drop offs on either side, you pass the calf creek campground, which is the starting point for this hike.
[ lower calf creek falls ]

All of this is found in the Grand Staircase National Monument.

[ grand staircase national monument ]

The valley was filled with color this time of year, and was a real treat for Dina and I as we had never seen the area with this much fall color.

Dina's longest hike since blowing her ACL back in the spring. We would end up doing like 3 or 4 long hikes, with a good mountain bike ride too. She was sore afterwards, but has since healed and is now strength training to gain muscle lost.

pteroglyphs of my family

flowers were still blooming, a few anyway.

Dina thinking "Is taking another picture already??!!" I took almost 500 over the whole trip.

horse tail was growing in the canyon floor, and is what we use in our flower arrangements at the shop.

A bright red bush was growing on the steep side of this wall.

Getting closer to Calf Creek, so name for the natural pen-like ability for early ranchers to keep their livestock contained in this canyon.

Dina

lower calf creek falls

so many amazing scenes everywhere you look here.

Dina pryed the camera away from my hands for just a second and took this pic. We've decided we need to have his and her cameras on hikes like this.

Dina resting after a good hike, but still a champ for posing for me one last time that day!