One of the nice things about spending nine days was having plenty of time for stops in side canyons. Our first stop was Elves Chasm, just a short hike from the river. To the left, Paul is sitting on top of the waterfall just before jumping off into the pool below. The waterfall below was a few minutes away from our camp.
	On the third day, we walked up a narrow slot canyon. On the way out, the guides pointed out a well preserved fossil in the rock. Although it wasn't yet monsoon season, some of the barrel cactii were starting to bloom.
On the fourth day, Paul took the long hike up and over a ridge to the Patio. Along the way, there were nice views of the river and of the path of Deer Creek.
Both the long and short hikes ended at the Patio, formed by Deer Creek. Kimberly read a book in the shade and cooled off under the waterfall while waiting for Paul to arrive.

After lunch, we hiked for about 45 minutes to the source of Deer Creek. We saw lizard everywhere, including the big one to the right. Below, the creek is cascading out of the rock. We walked right up under it and filled our water bottles.
The Throne Room next to the source of the creek had plenty of seating for everyone to rest out of the heat.
Walking back from the Patio, we had a great view upriver. Deer Creek meets the Colorado after a 75 foot waterfall.
This is as close as we could get to the bottom of the falls -- the wind and spray at the bottom was intense.