Spreading Literacy Love

Flagstaff, AZ.

Over the past few days, Jon and I have become acutely aware of the fact that the seasons are changing. Given that we had found riding through the Mojave Desert immensly enjoyable and comfortable should probably have clued us into the fact that absolutely bone jarring temperature changes lay in front of us.

That change came suddenly on Wednesday when we were ascending back towards the rim of the Grand Canyon after spending an evening at Granite Rapids along the mighty Colorado River. After a putting in a good morning, Jon and I stopped to a eat a typical lunch of summer sausage and cheese (in fact, at this point of the trip, I am pretty sure that the quantity of summer sausage I have consumed over the past two months has taken at least a few months off of my life expectancy). As we sat and enjoyed our meal, the blue sky was quickly overtaken by ominous clouds and a fierce wind began to pick up. Jon and I watched in horror as a thermometer positioned near the trail dropped 23 degrees in a matter of minutes (from a nice 70 to a not so toasty 47), marking the end of the warm temperatures. Later that night, the temperature dropped to 5 degrees (not celsius, fahrenheit mind you), which almost had me thinking that Jon and I would have to huddle together for warmth. However, I would rather freeze to death than cuddle with Natkin, so that idea was quickly erased from my mind.

The following days ride, though absolutely frigid, was equally as gorgeous as we ascended up to 8,046 feet, our highest elevation since Montana. The day was dominated by the snow capped Mount Humphrey, the tallest peak in Arizona, as we made our way towards Flagstaff.

Once in Flagstaff, we had the opportunity to visit another fantastic Reach Out and Read site. The facility was amazing, a local artist had painted large, child friendly pieces in each of the waiting and examination rooms, books were everywhere, waiting to be snatched up and read to waiting children, and the extremely enthusiastic staff was entirely behind the program. The highlight of the day was reading a book to a number of children waiting for appointments. The book, "click-Clack-Moo," about a bunch of cold cows and chickens who go on strike and demand electric blankets, was pretty funny for a children's book, and it was especially enjoyable screaming "CLICK-CLACK-MOO!!!" with the children, simulating each time the cows wrote a letter to the farmer.

Though the sites and the people have been truly amazing, it is really nice to see who well the Reach Out and Read program works. It has given us a new sense of purpose as we continue to spin our wheels towards Key West, FL.