I’ve made it my goal this year to take some time to enjoy the travels that this job throws my way. So when I learned that I’d be spending nearly a week in Las Vegas for a few back-to-back-to-back conferences I simply shrugged and started googling. As much time as I spend at conventions in this city, it was a no-brainer that I’d spend my free day a little further afield. I’d never been to the Grand Canyon, just flown over it countless times, and that was immediately at the top of my list. While I learned later from my tour guide that the South Rim is the spot from which 90% of photos of the Grand Canyon are taken, it was the West Rim that drew me. And while I can attest now that this end of the canyon also has some spectacular views, I had one object in mind when I first set out: I wanted to see the Skywalk.
You wouldn’t be the first to call me a glass geek this week, so go right ahead. Because, yes, after several speechless minutes at the canyon’s edge, I did make my way up to the U-shaped glass bridge suspended 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. And yes, after slipping over my shoes the thin booties handed out at the gate (the walkway is constantly polished to allow for clear views) I may have knelt down to take a closer look at the laminated lite that makes up this unique glass floor. According to information from DuPont, the two-inch thick glass decking, approximately 10 feet wide and 70 feet deep, is made of a multilayer glass construction including three of that company’s SentryGlas structural interlayers and four layers of Saint-Gobain’s Diamant glass. That makes for one very thick and pretty impressive piece of glass. 
While the faint-of-heart can avoid walking over the see-through portions of the bridge by sticking to the cement girders at the sides, I felt no worries when it came to wandering across the bridge with a clear view of the canyon floor below my feet. Truth be told, I felt a lot more secure on the thick laminated glass than I did when creeping up to the edge of the canyon itself—where were the structural engineers telling me that wouldn’t crumble?
For any of you out there interested in making the trip, there’s a lot more to see than this somewhat-work-related, although extremely neat, attraction. From Las Vegas, a drive to the West Rim takes you past Hoover Dam and through the Joshua Tree National Forest. There are several stops at the West Rim that allow you a variety of panoramic views, each more impressive than the last, and some opportunities for light hiking. In addition, there are opportunities to learn about the Hualapai Tribe, which owns the land.
