And we're off!

Thank you to Laura, Blake, and the Bown's for the the support with resupply, and to the Bown's for a hot meal and a place to stay the night before our adventure!!

All this reading makes me sleepy

Time to explore...

Well, today we leave for Lake George Mn. To stay with some amazing people that Heidi Strand introduced us to.  Tomorrow will be our first day on the river.  Stay tuned for more!

Mental preparations!

This morning when I woke up a solemn sense of gratitude, a peaceful stillness gripped me.  I was once again thinking about the river.  Since we began telling people our intentions to paddle to the gulf, a barrage of questions about the dangers of the river have been hurled at us.  Truth be told, I do not fear the river.  It is a comforting truth that she will lay out to me the rules for every inch, yard, and mile that we travel.  Her unstoppable power will create very clear boudaries which no one dare cross.  The multitude of varriables that mother nature can throw at you are very manageable and by-in-large predictable.  The variable I fear more than any is the human one.  What will I find after peeling off the scale armour that comes with a business tittle, or the life consuming purpose of a high intensity job?  After all these years of professional progress what is left of the free spirited child that ventured into the wild wooded places?  Questions of who i am and the daunting task of rediscovering my self are the varriables that are truly frightening.

However these words reaffirm why we are going on this adventure,
" I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
Henry David

Final Preparstions...

There is a funny pattern that emerges in life when we look carefully.  For Amanda and I it is the constant, although frustrating at times, city of Wausau Wisconsin.  It is from here that we have launched almost every major adventure.  Moving to Ireland, moving back to Ireland, moving to Minnesota, moving back to Wisconsin to work at NVW, and now a trip down the length of country on one of the largest river in the world!  At the center of this hub of life is my Mother.  This crazy little lady has never once questioned our decisions, but always supported us.  She has come to support us whenever and wherever needed.  In the same way Amanda's Mom and Dad have been the voices of reason and support.  Debbie and Gary are a source of emotional support and have never hesitated to jump in and lend an helping hand no matter what.  As we float ever closer to the precipice of adventure deep reflection has revealed gratitude and respect for the support we have received from our amazing parents.

5 days and counting!!!

Huge thank you to Cabella's

Thanks to Cabella's our trip just got safer and smoother!  Great donation of two Uniden Marine band radios.  These will be extremely helpful when approaching locks and when communicating when out of sight if each other!