We stayed a second night in Flagstaff, and then headed out to the West Rim and the Hualapai Nation on the next day (4/10/07).

Our route west to the West Rim.

We drove to the Hualapai Lodge in the morning, but when we arrived, it was too early to check in.  So we decided to visit the Canyon Walk that afternoon.
This is an attraction built by the Hualapai Nation, and consists of a large 'U' shaped bridge that extends into the Grand Canyon.  The floor is glass, and
allows you to look straight down into the Canyon.

However, it is not possible to simply drive your car there.  One must purchase a tour package at an arrival station that includes several stops by tour bus.  The first one of which is the Canyon Walk.  One item I failed to mention before is the drive to the Hualapai nation.  That consists of rough sand and rock roads that are 14 to 32 miles long depending on the route you take.  This area is very rugged, and does not have good/any cell phone coverage.  Also, there is no road side lighting.  Driving this by night is somewhat risky as you could blow out a tire, and have little assistance to replace it.


The first stop inside the Hualapai Nation is the Canyon Walk.  It is a bridge over the Canyon with a glass floor.


Here they are on their way to the walk.  I was too scared to go on it....


They had a good time, and stayed a good half an hour on the glass bridge.

Photo from through the glass floor.  The reflection from the bright sky makes it a little hard to see
the floor of the Canyon.  Note the gap between glass panels, and the red support steel beams.



Peering over the very rim of the Canyon and looking straight down the sudden drop off.  Yikes!


The Canyon Walk is located at Eagle Point.  So called because of this nearby
rock formation along a ridge facing the walk.  Do you see the eagle?


The second stop in the Hualapai Nation is Guano Point.  This proved to be the high point of our trip.
It is a ridge that projects out from the South Rim into the middle of the Canyon.
The view from this location allows you to see from the South Rim, all the way down to the Colorado
River, and all the way back up to the North Rim.  You not only have the Canyon in front of you, but also
essentially have the Canyon 360 degrees all the way around you.


We had a great time on top of the peak of Guano Point.  What a moment!
Initially, Mom did not climb to the top, but when she saw me up there, she
decided to do it, and she did not regret it.  It was very cool.


The view from the restaurant on Guano Point down to the Canyon Floor.
You can see tiny features that are probably picnic tables waay down the floor.

Click here for a Google Satellite picture of this location.

From the Hualapai Nation, we traveled back to Flagstaff, where we stayed one night.


On our last day in Flagstaff, we visited the Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was
discovered.  This is the very telescope that took the images that found Pluto!
Pretty cool for a space nut like me.

From Flagstaff, we then returned to Phoenix, and we took the opportunity to skate
in a public park.  That night we had dinner with my cousin who is originally from Canada.
We stayed in Phoenix one more day and spent it at the Science Center, and left the next
one to return home (4/14/07).


We had a great time in Arizona, and will remember the sights for a long time.

The vacation in Arizona was very enjoyable, and we think the kids will remember this for a very long time.
The temperature in Phoenix can exceed one hundred degrees in the summer, but we never had a day over
80F.  Mom would often say that it was "cool and nice".

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