Planning: Boat, Blog, Brower’s, Businesses and Press

Enjoying four days off from substitute teaching this week-end.  Friday was a teacher work day and Monday is Presidents’ Day, a holiday.  Lots to do, lots to do.  First thing to tend to is my boat.

The old keel strip has been removed.  I just need to wipe it down and get all the goo off of it.  Eddyline Kayaks will walk me through applying the new strip.  It is a protective strip that keeps the bottom from getting too banged up when exiting the water onto shore.  Hopefully, rocks will not be too big an issue on the trip.

I will also get the rudder hooked up with the cables, remove the old name, “Barbara May” and change to “Blue Moon.”  I mean, how often does a trip like this cross your path?  You got it: once in a blue moon.  The next blue moon is in 2015, I believe.  Anyway, I will also remove Bob Bellingham’s web site address, steadypaddling.com, and apply my own, http://www.loveyourbigmuddy.com.    I think I will be ready for my maiden cruise after that.

 

The video is ready except for one last little edit.  I may be able to post it here by the time I’m finished writing this post.  Facebook is very easy to post things on quickly, but my blog is like home base.  We’ve been together for quite a while now, growing together, so I’d like to post the video here first. It is short and sweet.

I will be starting a fundraising page with GoFundMe.  I have been fighting the idea in my mind, whether or not to go “commercial.”  I guess I will go for it, since I really do need the financial support.  Substitute teaching is wonderful, but the pay is meager.  I love the fact that many of my friends are donating on my “Donation Opportunities” blog page.  Warms my heart and builds me up.

I will soon start my food supply list, get detailed on what clothing items I will bring, and take another day to invite companies to donate items.  I feel as though the bigger companies are not interested since this is my first expedition.  I am trying not to depend on their support. If fundraising goes well, I will purchase the items I need such as a tent, down sleeping bag, stove, GPS device, etc.

I visited with our local sport shop businesses in Columbia last week.  The effort is proving to be beneficial.  Walt’s Bicycle Fitness Wilderness will be donating a couple of items from my wish list.  And, I am pretty sure Klunk Bicycles is donating a used mountain bike for the portion of my trip requiring a bike ride due to frozen waterways.  Once officially donated, I will make an announcement.  I really want to help promote our local businesses if I can.

I am watching the snow depth level at Lakeview very closely now.  The first stretch of my trip will be determined by the winter conditions such as snow and ice-covered lakes and rivers.  This link gives historic as well as daily snow levels and water input into the Red Rock River.

I am determined to get to Brower’s Spring no matter how much snow has fallen.  I will have to rely on my ski mountaineering experience from my years living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Staying strong and healthy until April is very important.  I am running two miles every other day, rowing on the rowing machine, taking walks, and will soon start riding my mountain bike substantial distances.  I always try to eat good and wholesome foods.  Basically, high fiber and low fat is my norm.  I have made the switch to 100% whole wheat breads and pasta, and I eat a green salad just about every night.  I will miss having a glass of Chardonnay with dinner while on my trip.  Maybe I can stowaway a bottle now and then.

I have topped the 200 “likes” number on my Facebook page.  YaY!  If you have not liked the page, please do so.  As I mentioned before, I am able to post to FB much more than I do blog posts.  These posts take time and careful consideration, which I am finding harder to do now that I am substitute teaching most days.

The Columbia Missourian, University of Missouri’s Journalism School newspaper, interviewed me last week and we will meet soon for a photo shoot.  The Missourian produced the first piece of media about my trip way back last August (or September?), with Bob Bellingham’s paddle down the Missouri River being the main feature.   You can find that article on my “Media” page.  Now, my trip will be a feature article.  I am happy about having our local press support my trip.  Here is Ciera, the journalism student who interviewed me.  She is just delightful.

I started a Twitter account, @MoRivExpedition, so that I can utilize all the social media tools.  I really don’t know much about Twitter.  I am learning as I go.  I am following a lot of cool adventure people, but only have two followers.  That’s okay, though.  I have no idea how to accumulate followers.  I will just tweet little tweets now and then, and see how things progress.  Once I get started on my trip, I cannot imagine having time to keep up with all the social media anyway.  I will have to save my writing for the rainy days…or, snowy days…or, windy days.

Or, maybe on an occasional lovely day, I will take a break and hang out.

Live fast ~ Paddle slow