Red Hollow Slot Canyon and Belly of the Dragon

While it didn't rain but a few drops today, it threatened and remained mostly cloudy. We made the decision to drive from Richfield, where we spent the night, to Kanab, where we'll spend two nights. Kanab is an access point for both Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. We want to try and see some of Bryce with a blue sky. We might get some sun tomorrow. Zion is still up in the air as much of it is still under a flood watch. Slot canyons are susceptible to flooding and can be dangerous, so we'll see about Zion.

Today, we took in a couple of the attractions on the way down from Richfield that didn't require a big time comittment. We got way more bang for our buck!

This is the wash at the beginning of the small slot canyon--Red Hollow

As we walked up this wash, we met a guy coming out of the canyon. We chatted for a minute, and he voiced his disappointment that about 1/2 mile in, there was very large (six feet tall, covering the entire opening) boulder blocking the path. He was able to climb the boulder, but once he got over it, there was a section that was impassable. He said he thought there may have been a rope there at one time, but he was unable to go any further.

We decided to walk on back to take a look anyway.

This was the end of the road for us.

From Red Hollow, we drove just a few miles down the road to a man-made, nature-assisted tunnel called Belly of the Dragon. The tunnel was originally dug under U.S. Highway 89 to let rainwater pass safely under the road. While the initial tunnel is man-made, nature finished the job. Over time, flowing water and erosion from flash floods sculpted the soft sandstone walls into unique, rippled, and curved patterns. These wavy, ribbed interior textures look like the inside of a mythical creature's belly, which gave the location its famous nickname.

It was pretty cool!

For dinner, we went Cuban--delicious!