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<\/a>Pink Jeep: our chariot to the Grand Canyon<\/p><\/div>\n
En route to the Grand Canyon\u2014which included a restroom and snack stop\u2014Deal was a most knowledgeable guide and storyteller on a variety of subjects. But being seasoned and perceptive, he also knew when not to speak, allowing time for the morning cobwebs to be swept away, the group to warm up to one another, and for the scenery to make its own voiceless comment. Case in point, Deb early on in the trip asked about wildlife in the desert and Deal politely said he would address it later in the morning when the Jeep was in off-road terrain. That he did and it was perfectly timed as we entered deeper into the rugged Mojave Desert.<\/p>\n
Along the way, we marveled at rock formations and the starkly beautiful landscape, such a contrast to our native Michigan. As we neared the Grand Canyon, Deal also provided our group with a host of common sense tips and reminders on safety and health. \u201cDrink plenty of water, wear a hat, and watch your step,\u201d urged our scoutmaster. \u201cOur tours have a spotless safety record and let\u2019s keep it that way.\u201d And that we did.<\/p>\n
As part of our trip planning, we also made reservations for the famed Skywalk, the gulp-taking glass and steel horseshoe-shaped bridge that extends 70 feet over the canyon. A brainchild of businessman David Jin for the native Hualapai tribe, the Skywalk is now a major tourist attraction located at Eagle Point on the West Rim. Deal calmly explained yet never oversold the merits of this once-in-a-lifetime walk on the wild side. Happily all the members of our tour signed on. It became the focal point of the day and generated a wealth of laughter and banter as we became a \u201cSkywalk band of brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>Offering trepidation and thrills: the Skywalk delivers<\/p><\/div>\n
First, it should be stressed the Skywalk is a civil engineer\u2019s dream for its design, formidable construction, and safety features. Rationally speaking, there\u2019s no reason not to step out and take an unbelievable stroll, 4000-feet above the canyon floor. But who\u2019s rational when confronting such heights while being suspended over an abyss? Various levels of acrophobia at the Skywalk provided our group a gripping (as in handrails!) lesson in psychology.\u00a0Second, the Skywalk\u2019s strictly enforced rules and guidelines\u2014no cell phones, no cameras, no videos\u2014made sense in terms of crowd control, decorum and overall safety. And it also made cents financially inasmuch as the only photography allowed on the Skywalk were by authorized staff photographers who later offered photo packages. (For $30, we purchased a 5 x 7.)<\/p>\n
Our group, despite various levels of trepidation, was exhilarated by the Skywalk experience. For the faint of heart, the designers wisely included a non-transparent path on either side of the clear glass center-lane of the deck which provided mentally a surer footing. We also lucked out by having ideal weather. The air was clear, calm and distinct and the light and temperature were ideal, according to Deal. The views, in short, were heavenly as crows soared above the multi-colored canyon walls and the robin-egg blue sky with only a faint swipe of clouds.<\/p>\n
After the Skywalk and Eagle Point, our party was taken to the second vantage point on the shuttle tour. Called Guano Point, here more incredible vistas were revealed with the Colorado River snaking its way below. Fitting to its name, we also visited the steel tower and aerial cable tramway that was built in 1958 (and abandoned only two years later) to extricate prized bat guano from a cave on the north side of the canyon. Deal shared good stories surrounding this surprising steel relic that seemed so foreign to this scenic, pristine spot. I liked this one: In 1960, a hot-dogging Air Force jet fighter pilot (pre-Top Gun?) flying low thru this area sliced the tram\u2019s cable spanning the canyon, damaging the plane\u2019s wing, yet managing to get back to base. It wasn\u2019t until 1976 that the main cable was finally removed for such safety reasons.<\/p>\n