Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
5/13/09 

Greetings Riders,
 
Well, here we are in mid May and the hot weather has shown up right on schedule. Mother Nature is easing us in with a string of 8 straight days of 100+ degrees to get us used to what we will be seeing in July and August. Glad I got my Iron Butt ride in when temps were only in the high 80's. If you missed last week's newsletter about my experience of doing 1137 miles in a day on an Iron Butt ride, Click Here to read.  

While is was over 1100 miles on the bike a week ago, 3 weeks ago it was 500 miles the easy way. From the first time that I heard of plans to construct the Grand Canyon Skywalk, I was intrigued with idea of going to see it. In case you have been cut off from communication for the last 5 years, the Hualapai Indians built an engineering marvel that allows you to walk out on a horseshoe shaped, glass bottomed walkway suspended 4000 feet above the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon. Apparently it supposed to be quite the tourist attraction as they are expecting over 1 million people walk this glass bottomed structure this year.
 
Unknowingly, my desire to see and experience this novel way of viewing the Grand Canyon was about to come to fruition by a chance meeting with Chad Dube of Western Destinations. Chad invited me out to take a look at the new Rawhide located at Wildhorse Pass. They are very motorcycle friendly and wanted to give me a tour of the place to see if there might be a fit for a motorcycle event at their location. By the way, it was very impressive and I think there just might be something we could do there. After some discussion about the Western Destinations involvement in managing properties, the subject of the Skywalk was raised and they invited Mrs. C. and I up to be their guest at the Hualapai Ranch that they manage, and take a stroll around the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
 
I've often thought it would be fun to make this a Day Ride to the Skywalk, but the only 2 ways to reach it involve several miles of rough dirt roads to make the trip. One way about 40 miles of dirt and the other about 14 miles. Word is that within the year, the 14 miles will be paved. Not wanting to traverse those roads on the bike, I did a little research and decided to take the next best way, flying. As luck would have it, Grand Canyon West has a 5000' runway 2 miles from the Skywalk.
 
So we packed an overnight bag, hopped in the Cessna 172 on a Saturday afternoon and were wheels up at 2:30pm for our hour and a half flight to Grand Canyon West located approximately 50 miles NW of Peach Springs off of old Route 66 and 80 miles North of Kingman on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. We landed right on schedule at 4:00pm where Chad and Clem were waiting to pick us up. If you ever fly into this airport don't expect too much, it is little more than a than a double wide with a gift shop. The tarmac doesn't even have tie downs for your plane. But I expect that will be changing soon as they are anticipating as many as 1 million people to visit the Skywalk this year, and a lot of them will be getting there on commuter flights from Vegas and Phoenix.
 
We were picked up in a van by Chad, Jennifer and Clem from Western Destinations and went directly from the airport to the Skywalk that had opened to the public just 3 weeks before. One interesting thing that I found in preparing to go onto the Skywalk is that you cannot have anything at all in your pockets. You have to have someone hold your things or get a locker to store them. No keys, no cameras no nothing. Then you go through a metal detector to make sure that you have removed it all. When you reach the entrance you have to put little cotton booties over your shoes before walking onto the glass walkway.
 
As you approach the Skywalk you will see that it is about 5 feet wide in a horseshoe shape with the middle 3 feet being clear Plexiglas with a foot on each side being the beams that hold the structure up and clear Plexiglas sides. As you take your first step onto the center of the glass you are immediately looking several hundred feet down to the ground below. It is not exactly the 4000 feet directly below you that they advertise, but it is looking down to the Colorado river below. As you slowly walk to the center of the structure and look down and over the edge you get the feeling that this is indeed a unique feeling and an absolutely gorgeous view as you have a direct view of Eagle Point and the river far below. After a couple of minutes of getting used to the fact that you are not going to fall through the glass, it really becomes a pretty cool experience. And once you realize that the skywalk would be capable of supporting the weight of 72 fully loaded 747's, it makes you feel even more comfortable. In fact, I decided to get a photograph testing out the soundness of the structure. Click Here. If you are afraid of heights, it might take you a little longer to adjust.  
 
The Skywalk facility that is currently under construction will also include a 6,000 square-foot visitor's center on three levels - underground, first story and second story. Inside is a museum, movie theater, VIP lounge, gift shop, and several restaurants and bars. One high-end restaurant is called The Skywalk Café that offers outdoor patio and rooftop seating on the edge of the canyon. This will really add to the experience as Eagle Point and Guano Point are very beautiful parts of the Grand Canyon.
 
From the Skywalk we went to visit Guano Point  which has a gorgeous view of the Colorado River and the canyon (Click on it to enlarge). During the 1950's and 60's, bat guano (dung) was mined from a cave across the canyon and trammed back on cables. Rich in nitrates, it was used for the production of makeup, fertilizer and explosives. Some of the mining relics still exist and are very interesting. You can also do some hiking and exploration in this area. Unlike the Grand Canyon that is run by the National Parks, there are no guard rails and signs keeping you from being as curious as you want to be. Taking pictures of the old mining building, enveloping the incredible beauty and learning the history of this part of the Grand Canyon was almost the highlight of the trip.
 
With the sun starting to set and casting shadows across the canyon, we made our way back to check into our cabin at the Hualapai Ranch and strolled into the Old West town for some dinner at the Dance Hall and a photo op of Mrs. C. and I. We were fed an excellent chicken dinner and entertained by one of the best close up slight of hand entertainers that I have ever seen. He simply blew us away with the tricks he was doing right in front of our eyes. We then made our way outside to the campfire with a cowboy playing the guitar and singing songs. It was a wonderful end to an exciting day.
 
Sunday morning we rose early to blue skies, sunny and 45 degrees to get some breakfast at the dance hall before we saddled up to take a horseback ride led by a Hualapai Indian out to the edge of the canyon. I will admit to not being a big fan of horse back riding, preferring the steel horse with 90 horsepower instead of one, but this trip was really special and enjoyable. Our Hualapai Indian guide known as "Broken Sky", took us off the beaten path for a special ride to the top of a small rock mesa to the edge of the canyon for a beautiful view of the Colorado River below. I have to say, it really was an enjoyable experience.
 
We returned to the stables, parked the horses and loaded our bags into the truck for our short ride back to the airport. I pre-flighted the plane and we were wheels up shortly after 11am headed East, with a great view of the Skywalk from above, following South of the Canyon over to the Grand Canyon National park airport near the South Rim for a touch and go and then on to Sedona for a fuel stop before returning to Deer Valley Airport at around 2:30pm. It was a great little trip that consumed all of 24 hours, but we sure soaked up a lot of eye candy and unique experiences in that short amount of time. I want to thank Chad Dube and Western Destinations for their hospitality at the Ranch and the Skywalk.
 
Once they get the road paved all the way, it will make a great Day Ride destination for motorcycles. In the meantime, if you want to make a family trip out of it as well, there are a lot of other things to do including Jet Skiing, Rafting, Horseback Riding and Helicopter rides through the canyon. I will include some links below for you to explore the possibilities. I have also included over 150 pictures of the trip from the air and on the ground that I think you will enjoy. And of course, Google for more information. It is $29.95 to walk on the Skywalk.
 
Click Here for Photos.
Click Here for Map.  
 
Useful Links:
Western Destinations and the Hualapai Ranch
Grand Canyon Skywalk
Detailed information on activities at Grand Canyon West
More Grand Canyon Skywalk
Eagle Point and Guano Point
Video History of the Skywalk

Highlights This Week
 
Westgate Bike Night has been extended to July 2nd.
Will be moved to Wednesday for the last 2 weeks of May. The 20th and 27th only.
Then back to Thursdays through July 2nd. Thursday this week.