The phrase "off the beaten path" took on new meaning as we got closer to the Skywalk on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. For more than 14 miles, we drove over the worst road I've driven on in decades. As someone raised in southwestern North Dakota, I'm accustomed to driving on gravel roads. I remember relatives from Chicago visiting us when I was in high school. We took my cousin along with us on a 35-mile "road trip" to Lemmon, South Dakota. Rather than take the longer route on Highway 8, we took "The Watrous Road," so named because it passed the "city" of Watrous which consisted of one grain elevator. It was gravel the whole way, involved some 90-degree banked turns, and I doubt we ever slowed down to less than 75 mph, except maybe for those turns. We didn't think much of it but Cousin Rickie was scared spitless. He had never been on a gravel road before, much less doing so in a car full of lunatics.
These 14 miles were ungraveled, barely graded, and yielded several huge rocks and deep gulleys. Glad we had a rental car. This was like traveling on a winding section line the county commissioners should have closed because the terrain made travel impassable. Naturally, we ended up behind a humongous tourist bus which kicked up fine white dust most of the way.
At the end of the trail, we arrived at the Tribe's central station. Here we bought two tickets. One allowed us bus transportation to three sites on the reservation. This ticket [$40] was mandatory as no automobiles were allowed beyond that juncture. The second ticket was for the Skywalk [another $40] and this purchase was optional. For another $125, we could have taken a 12-minute helicopter ride into the canyon, but we passed on that.
Tickets in hand, we boarded a large tour bus. It was packed. Our driver inquired where his passengers were from. One couple in the back hollered out "Wisconsin" and we obliged with "Bismarck, North Dakota." The rest of the passengers were silent but the driver informed us these dark-haired folks were all from China.
Our first stop--Skywalk. I stitched together five wide-angle shots to give you an idea of the view. You will have to use the scroll bar at the bottom of your screen to see all of this panoramic shot.
I knew from reading about Skywalk on several web sites that no cameras were allowed on the Skywalk itself. In fact, we had to walk through a metal detector before entering the horseshoe-shaped walk. As you can see, there is a plexiglass barrier above the railing making it unlikely that anyone can fall over the side. The floor of the Skywalk had ribbons like a rainbow. The two outer ribbons are opaque while the center ribbon is clear. It wasn't bad if you looked out over the railing and then gradually down to the clear glass under foot. But if you looked straight ahead at the sky and then dropped your gaze immediately to your feet, it definitely induced vertigo. One elderly Asian woman was being coaxed by two friends or relatives, one on each arm. They had to practically drag her around the Skywalk as she muttered what I suspect was something like, "No, no, no. I don't want to die."
Fifty yards away from the Skywalk, tourists could walk to the edge of the canyon, dangle their legs over if they chose, and there were no ropes or fences or plexiglass to keep them from taking a 2000-foot leap.
Don, a member of the Hualapai tribe, stood guard over the area just east of the Skywalk where hundreds of tourists pose for shots. He told us some of the younger members of the tribe contracted with a Chinese businessman to build the Skywalk, that a 20-year lease was involved, and that the tribal elders were not consulted until the deal was sealed. Many elders believe the Skywalk represents a desecration of sacred land for which no amount of money will compensate. I asked Don if any tourists had toppled into the canyon. "Not yet," he said, "but it will happen some day."
Pam stands near a fissure in the rocks where you can see the Colorado River in the distance. Don estimated it was five miles from where she was standing to the plateau on the opposite side of the river. From Skywalk, we boarded the bus for a five-minute drive to Guano Point.