Grand Canyon West

Friday, October 31.

We wanted to go onto the skywalk bridge at the Grand Canyon so we did.  As you may know, it is a glass floor that goes out onto the Grand Canyon with  about a 4000 foot clear space below.  You walk on the glass. They won't let you take cameras or any personal effects out onto the skywalk with  you.  You also have to put on  paper booties to protect the glass.  The only picture I have of the skywalk is from a distance.
I will say that the skywalk gave me an insecure feeling.  I thought the glass might crack.  Of course, that's ridiculous - never-the-less, I had that nervous feeling.  You just might too but I know it's safe.

Then we got really crazy and decided to do the package deal and include the helicopter ride down into the canyon.  It took us through the canyon and over the river then dropped us off at a point where we had to walk down to a boat.  The boat took us out onto the Colorado River for about a 20 minute sightseeing cruise.  Then the whirlybird picked us up and took us back to the starting point.  It was an incredible way to see an incredible sight, what a thrill!

You get to Grand Canyon West by going north on Pierce  Ferry  Road off of U.S. 93 just north of Kingman, Az.  It is on Hualapai Indian land and is pretty much an all day visit, especially if you do the helicopter and skywalk.  Buses make rounds from the main site to several other view points, each one of  them offering a different view of the canyon from the rim.  It is not the National Park part of the Grand Canyon.

We stayed in a little RV park in Dolan Springs, Az for two nights.  We had no idea where we might stay or what we would be doing at the Skywalk so we stopped in for information.  We got the information and the site with hookups.  The RV site certainly wasn't anything special but the people were very friendly and were genuinely glad to have us as guests and so it worked out fine.  We were the only ones and the only RV in the place.  Dolan Springs is on Pierce Ferry Road.  From Dolan Springs it was about a 45 mile drive to the Skywalk through a Joshua Tree forest.  We both love those Joshua Trees, never have seen anything quite like them.

The Helicopter

View from Helicopter

Linda in  Helicopter

View from Helicopter

Boat ride on Colorado River

On the boat in the Colorado River

Deadly dropoff in Grand Canyon

The Skywalk

Another Deadly dropoff

Down Grand Canyon from a Hualapai lookout

A forest of Joshua Trees

Closeup of a Joshua Tree