I’ve been meaning to post this item for several days, but I keep getting distracted by other topics. Today, however, is quiet at work and snowy outside, and nothing much has caught my eye during my ‘net wanderings, so let’s take care of some older business, shall we?

One of my Three Loyal Readers, the irrepressible Chenopup, has sent word of an interesting new tourist attraction now taking shape on the western rim of the Grand Canyon: a cantilevered glass Skywalk extending out over the edge of the canyon itself. Part of a visitor’s center located on the Hualapai Nation Indian reservation, the Skywalk is a U-shaped observation deck that will enable tourists to take a scenic stroll some 4000 feet above the canyon’s floor. An artist’s conception can be seen here.

You know, it’s funny. I hate going up on the roof of my old single-story bungalow to hang Christmas lights — I always have this horrible, Vertigo-esque picture in my mind of falling backwards off the eaves, arms windmilling crazily as I drop flat on my back onto the concrete driveway below — but I love all those tall, tourist-attraction observation decks. One of my fondest memories is standing on the roof of the gone-but-not-forgotten World Trade Center, with the wind in my face and the entire world at my feet. For the record, I’ve also been atop the Empire State Building, the pedastal of the Statue of Liberty (the wait to reach the crown was 90 minutes the day I was there, an untenable proposition in New York’s horrible summertime heat and humidity), and various European churches and cathedrals. I’d like to someday go up in the Gateway Arch, the Space Needle, the Eiffel Tower, of course, and the Petronas Towers. Hell, I’d even be up for hiking the Sydney Harbour bridge. But I suspect I’ll probably make it to the Grand Canyon Skywalk much sooner.

Incidentally, the Hualapai are also building an authentic Indian village near the Skywalk and its visitor center, which will host cultural performances and the like, and visitors can also have a “true Western experience” with Wild West performances, open-fire cookouts, and horseback riding at the Hualapai Ranch. It all sounds incredibly touristy, and absolutely fabulous, and it’s all supposed to be open for business in January. Road trip!