Oh my gosh, Tri Girl, I'm going to be giggling for a while after reading your "Stairway of Doom" in the PD Canyon. Hubby and I went to Amarillo to see my G'ma after we were married (yes, in the Dark Ages) and while we were there we had a family outing to a section of the Canyon my uncle owned at the time. Hubby had never been to the Staked Plains. He grew up in Idaho where you travel across the plains and then drive UP perfectly visible mountains. Well, he didn't realize that my uncle asked him to drive one of the Land Cruisers because, as the tallest, he would have the best view over the hood of the, well, nothing as we dived over the edge on the narrow jeep track. 25 years later I think he still has nightmares if you mention that first non-view of that canyon. I think he could relate to your stairway.

PS - congrats on such a HUGE goal!