Ockey Family Adventures: Bryce Canyon Day 3

After breakfast in the hotel, we hit the road this morning. We had two very long hikes and a significant amount of driving today. The first hike, Upper Calf Creek Falls, was 90 minutes away, and we wanted to get on the trail before it got too hot.

We were surprised when we arrived at the trailhead. It was pretty much straight down to the waterfall. The distance was only one and a quarter miles, but the hike was steeper than most staircases. Not only that, the trail wasn't very easy to follow. At one point, we heard one of the few people on the trail say, "The only trail marker I see is that guy in the red shorts," while pointing at Seth.

Eventually, we got to the bottom of the canyon. There was a lush green oasis and the canyon floor was marshy. The waterfall was tall and beautiful, and we stood right underneath it. We couldn't believe what a different, almost tropical place it was compared to the desert above. I didn't take a picture of our family by the waterfall, but I did get one of everyone by it!

We'd also heard about some swimming holes above the waterfall, so we turned up the canyon. We soon came across three crystal clear places to swim. The boys hadn't brought swimsuits, and the sides were too steep for wading, so only Dad made a cliff jump into the water. The temperature wasn't too bad, especially since the day was warming up. We made the climb out surprisingly fast and moved on to our next hike.

Everyone considered jumping.

But only Dad took the plunge!

The pools were pretty fun, though.

The climb up was brutal. But we survived.

The last time we did Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot canyons Seth was just a toddler. We almost died in the desert that day when we got lost without a map or any signs. This time, we were determined to do better. They'd redone the entire trail, including the parking area and signage, so we were sure it would be easier. The entry trail takes you through a third slot canyon, and they had the distance listed at just 4.5 miles.

Unfortunately that was a lie. We almost died again. This time we didn't got lost, but we did clock the hike at nearly 6 miles. It stretched past lunch and well into the hot part of the day. Though Peek-a-Boo and Spooky were really amazing to explore, the bonus slot canyon called Dry Fork was our favorite. Sadly, it was just too hot, too far, and too strenuous to climb over, under, around, and through all those obstacles. It was after 4 o'clock when we got back to the car, and all of us were thirsty and worn out. But we made the 90 minute drive back to Ruby's Inn and quickly got showered.

We had to make sure we could fit through spooky.

Sorry for all of the pictures of this hike. There are so many fun ones!

Dry Fork Canyon.

It was such a cool slot canyon.

This canyon was really long.

It was fun to hike to Peek A Boo another way.

Honestly, we really liked the Dry Fork slot the most.

Into Peek A Book we go.

Mom was recreating pictures all over the place.

This canyon is a lot of work.

The slots are so narrow.

Lots of climbing.

We had fun!

It was nice to have big kids this time.

But it was still a lot of work!

Dropping down big rocks!

Spooky is a lot skinnier.

Dad decided to stay in the canyon.

Dax was our fearless leader through Spooky.

We were glad to hike this one together.

Look how narrow it gets.

Dad loves to video with the phone in his mouth.

This was the pic I wanted to recreate the most.

Look how much they have changed.

Our final adventure was a chuckwagon dinner show. This one was like others we've been to, but the country music wase much more modern. The boys didn't know what to think. With some reluctance, they trudged to Ebenezer's Bar and Grill for the show. But, as with all live music performances, this one was a ton of fun. We enjoyed the dinner of beans, pork and chicken, mashed potatoes, and a roll. Then we sang along to songs like Friends in Low Places, the Gambler, and Fishin' in the Dark. Everyone left with a smile on their face, and a feeling that maybe some country music wasn't too bad.