In my home State of Arizona, on March 20, 2007, The Grand Canyon Skywalk was opened to the public and Buzz Aldrin got to be first to make history this time. At least as far as the Hualapai Indians, whose ancient and sacred land it sits on are concerned.

From an architectural, design and engineering standpoint you can’t help but marvel at the mere concept of such a structure. The horseshoe shaped walkway extends 65 feet beyond the edge of the canyon, 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. The walls and floor are built from 4 inch thick glass and the structure was built to withstand up to 100 mph winds and a magnitude 8 earthquake. The structure overall is capable of supporting the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747s (71 million pounds +/-). However, the permitted capacity is limited to 120 persons at a time. Wow.

There has been some controversy over this thing from the start. From dissension within the Hualapai tribe itself to concerns of Environmental groups and the realistic fact that, while the structure is apparently more than sound, the Canyon exists due to the erosion of 350-million-year-old limestone and red rock.

But to David Jin, businessman and Skywalk mastermind, whose “...dream was to find a balance between form, function and nature...” it is simply an opportunity to share the “wonder of the canyon.” Well, like I said, from a design standpoint, it looks good on paper. Which is more than likely the only place I'll be checking it out.

For more information go to the Grand Canyon Skywalk Web site.