When Grand Canyon Whitewater moved its office to Flagstaff in April 2012, we were welcomed by a happy-go-lucky 92 year-old Flagstaff local named Jim. He took a liking to us and has been stopping by on his daily walks ever since.
Jim has a mischievous sense of humor and we never know what to expect when he comes in. Today he came in dressed as the pope, complete with a name-tag saying “Pope Pacemaker III,” and wanted to be addressed as “His Popeyness.” Jim likes to think of himself as a bit of a fashion expert and does not hesitate to critique our hair and attire. “You wore THAT to work?!” or “Your roots are showing!” are typical comments from Jim. He also likes to bring us newspaper clippings of our horoscopes and tell stories of growing up in the 1920s. He often departs by saying something like, “You ladies are crazy, I’m leaving.”
Jim is a great reminder that age is just a number, and that you’re only as old as you feel. We have had passengers as old as 82 join our rafting tours. So keep Jim in mind and remember, it’s never too late to check a Colorado RIver tour off your bucket list!