Some great resources I've used. (will be adding to the list as I remember/find more)

Logistics (Mississippi specific)
Planning an Expedition on a sea kayak
Sea Kayaking by John Dowd
Mississippi River Paddlers FB group

Maps:
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Water Trail maps.  (They're free, water resistant, and small.  Totally amazing).

Third time's the charm, right?  I had originally planned on leaving Wednesday, but we were waiting for my solar panels to come in the mail, and they were slated to arrive Thursday, so we decided we'd leave Friday.  But they were re-routed and didn't arrive Thursday, and they didn't arrive today (Friday) until 1:10pm-- ten minutes after the cut-off time that we had said was reasonable for me to get going.  So we're leaving early tomorrow morning for real this time! It's a ~4 hr drive up to Lake Itasca (a contraction of the center part of the Latin "Veritas caput," meaning "true head".  Because it's the true headwaters of the Mississippi).  Then I'll pack up my boat, and get in her ON WATER for the first time!  I joked to my Aunt and Uncle that I'll push off and wave goodbye and then sit for a couple hours just a few feet from shore as I try to figure out all my new gear.  Hahaha.  Anyway, I'm going to start off nice and easy, just a few miles a day at first.  I've got portages every day for the next few weeks it looks like, and I think that will be pretty taxing, and I don't want to burn out right at the start.  Although I was doing some cardio and weight training before I left DC, I am fully expecting these next few weeks to be the REAL training.  

Yesterday, I packed everything into the kayak one more time, to make sure it all fit since I got so much more gear and food compared to what I brought up on the plane with me.  It's a tight fit, for sure.  I have more stuff on the deck than I'd ideally like to have, but I'm sure I'll get better at packing, and I might find there are some things I can live without (no clue what those might be right about now, but hey, you never know).  In the video at the end, you can see that the cockpit is full.  On the water, I'll be wearing some of that stuff and the rest will be shoved down past my feet in the cockpit.  As you can tell, it was getting dark and the mosquitos were getting gnarly, so I didn't bother doing a complete packing job of the cockpit.  But you get the idea.  And, hey!  This is the first video I shot on the new GoPro!  I don't know if you're as obsessive and love watching videos about how to pack efficiently as I am, but if you are, I hope this video delivers.  
I imagine that my trip will be feel like more packing and unpacking (as I set up camp and break camp every day) than paddling.  It's not the funnest task in the world, and getting everything to fit in dry bags can be weary-making.  I've decided to just make this my meditation of the day.  Go slow and methodically, one thing at a time, so I don't do something stupid or end up hurting myself just because I'm impatient (yes, I've already scraped off a flap of skin on one of my fingers trying to stuff my sleeping bag too quickly).  I can't afford cuts and scrapes, especially for avoidable dumb reasons on this trip.  Major exercise in trying to improve grace and patience. 

I lucked out in the family department.  Last time I saw Brad and Jenny was at my sister's wedding, 9 years ago, but when they heard about this project, they've been nothing but excited and supportive.  Brad picked me up from the airport in his electric car, and we've been provisioning ever since!  We've gone to pick up my kayak, UPS, Whole Foods, Michael's, Trader Joe's, a normal grocery, another store, made multiple trips to REI, and drove all the way out to Stillwater, Wisconsin to pick up a VHF radio from Craigslist. And yesterday when I woke up from a nap, I found that the Lid Fairy had visited! Brad is an engineer by training and when he heard I was going to sprout seeds but didn't have a good mesh cap for the jar I'll be using, he drilled holes in the lid and popped some fiberglass mesh.  Bam.  

Brad is not just an engineer, though, he also builds and fixes harpsichords, and is a potter, specializing in fish!  

Being here is just wonderful, though.  Minnesota in summer is green and lush, the skies are blue, the temps are lovely, and so far I have not been bothered by bugs.  Brad and Jenny's lifestyle is one of modest comfort; classical music (and sometimes barbershop quartets) playing all day, leisure time to read the paper or a book, walks in the neighborhood with their adorable and very well-behaved shelty, Miles, snacks outside on the porch, exercise and work interspersed throughout.  They're intelligent and very funny.  Thanks to them I not only have had the perfect support and location for getting ready for this trip, but have also had the opportunity to see my cousin Wendy and her family, my mom's cousin John and his wife, and a couple very interesting ladies in their neighborhood who backed this project. And we've had yummy food and played games too.  

While in REI, trying to stuff my backpack into a dry bag to figure out which one was the right size, Brad said, "I was going to help you, but I realized you've got to be able to do this yourself."  When driving in the car, "I was going to put on the air conditioning, but I don't want to spoil you--you've got to get used to the heat."  I was in a store and it started to pour.  When I came outside, he said, "I was going to run in and bring you an umbrella, but then I figured you've got to get used to squalls."
I love this practical, hands-off methodology for 'helping'.  Ha haha.

I'm rather embarrassed by all the new gear and equipment I have, but also grateful for the opportunity to be doing this journey at a time when technology, materials science, and engineering play a huge part in the success of such expeditions.  Even 10 or 20 years ago some of my gear and equipment didn't exist or was prohibitively expensive.  For instance, I used to never travel with music because tapes were just too heavy and bulky.  I remember considering bringing mini-discs along in Tanzania in 2001, but decided that part of the traveling experience was leaving comforts like music behind.  And look at me now!  Traveling with my computer!  And ALL my music!  And my phone!  And an ipod!  etc etc etc...  Don't worry, I will still be enjoying the sounds of the river quite a lot.  

In the past few days, in addition to my kayak, I have aqcuired:

• GoPro Hero4 Silver/Surf for optimal video sharing of the experience, with the relief of knowing my camera is waterproof.  THIS IS FOR YOU, DEAR READERS!  I've got deck-mounting, tripod, and head-mounting capability. I can't wait to see how it works...
• GPS Garmin eTrex 10 for marking exact lat/lon for data collection, speed, and waypoint entry.
• YSI Pro2030 sonde (water quality probe) for measuring dissolved oxygen, salinity, conductivity, specific conductance, total dissolved solids, barometric pressure, and temperature. Major shout out and THANK YOU to YSI for lending this equipment for this project.  They went above and beyond by expressing excitement about my journey and overnighting this instrument to me. Looking forward to using it! 
• VHF Cobra Marine handheld floating radio for listening to weather and communicating with lock managers and barge captains.
• Werner camano carbon shaft 2-piece paddle.  I am looking forward to using the greenland paddle that the boat came with; they say the long, thin blades make paddling very easy and efficient for long distances.  It's a paddle that is easy on joints which is especially important for someone like me with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.  It will take a longer time to get up to speed, and doesn't do technical paddling very well, though, so I have the Werner paddle to make sure I can paddle quickly out of the way of barges if need be.  I have also heard that switching between a carbon blade and a greenland paddle is something that my wrists will thank me for. 
• Pelican cases and dry bags.  Pelican cases for my electronics, and dry bags galore for everything else.  I have a feeling that this expedition will be mostly spent pulling things out of bags, stuffing things into bags, and packing them all.  I have already resolved to use all this time as my daily meditation.  I've already managed to scrape my nail across the back of one of my knuckles (scabbed over now) while stuffing something into a sack, so I need to be very mindful and relaxed when I do this activity. Can't have any uneccesary cuts and scrapes on the river!
• Utility cord to tether everything to my boat!  Don't want to lose ANYTHING.
• Transparency tube for measuring water transparency.  It's like a secchi disk (a black and white checked disk that you lower into the water until you can't see it, then measure the length of the cord), but is a little bit more precise because you don't have to worry about the difficulty of measuring transparency in shallow water, or the forward angle that might arise in fast currents, obscuring the true depth of transparency.
• Water proof note pad and water proof pen for writing down my water quality data.  I'm such a nerd, I love this data collection stuff.  
• Two more platypus water bags.  They're virtually indestructible.  I had two already (one of which I've had for 19 years and is in great shape), but bought a couple more to make up for the laundry detergent container that I had planned on using in camp for washing hands and dishes.  (It was just to bulky to fit anywhere in my kayak, so I relegated it to the recycling bin).  The platypus water bags will conform easily to the strange shape of the area behind my seat in the cockpit where they'll live.  
• Lifefactory glass food storage container with silicone molding for holding my leftovers overnight and eating the next day for lunch
• Grand Trunk collapsible camp stool, which I hear is great for doubling as a solar panel platform, where the battery can hang out in the mesh pocket underneath.  I also hear it's great for drying clothes under safety of the rain fly at night.  And plus, every account I've read has said that the camp chair is the one thing everyone was SO GLAD they brought.
• GoalZero Sherpa 50 Solar kit which is rated for expedition type excursions and charging not just a phone, but my energy-hungry laptop (and GoPro, and VHF, and iPod).
• And, perhaps my favorite piece of gear, the Sea to Summit Jetstream Pump Sack for pumping up my sleeping pad each night without getting winded and dizzy.  I'm inspired and impressed with the simplicity and functionality of this small, lightweight, super helpful equipment.
  
  

Periodically along this journey, I will check-in on my physical and mental health.  I will label them all "Health Check," so if this aspect of my journey is not interesting to you, you'll have been warned and will be able to move past the post. Click "Kayaking with EDS" in the Categories section in the margin to the right to follow all such posts.

Here's what I am currently experiencing physically with any associated pain (0=none, 10=extreme), and what I'm doing to deal with it (starting with what I listed last health check): 

• mild subluxated right shoulder = gone!
  
• bursitis in my left hip (0-5), 10 days of twice-daily Aleve to reduce inflammation and trying not to sleep on that side
  
• lax left ankle = mostly gone
  
• tight jaw = more relaxed, mouth guard at night
• arrhythmia and tachycardia (0 pain, but unsettling), wait it out.  I had a few more epsiodes of this, but haven't had any in the past week
• ocular migraine (0), wait it out, eliminate ALL caffeine from my diet.  This was the first time I had ever experienced this, and it happened 3 times in one week.  Symptoms: I had mild nausea, visual hallucinations like colored stars and stripes and wobbly vision, but no pain. Each time lasted about 45 minutes and usually happened around 6pm.  Very strange and disconcerting. Haven't had any in about 2 weeks.
  
• tiredness (0), trying to rest as much as I can while still completing all this preparation!

Mental health update: 
I had a panic attack last week, but it was situational, which always makes them a little less scary because I at least understand why my body is going into overdrive, even if it's disproportionate to the trigger.  In general, I have been extremely happy: the kickstarter went better than expected, everything keeps falling into place, and so many people are supportive of this project.  I noticed my face relaxing like it hasn't relaxed in I-don't-know-how-long, allowing me to smile a full, un-forced smile.  It feels like a long-lost but familiar and marvelous countenance.  I am tucking away this relaxed muscle memory, and hoping I can better access it from now on.  

As I was packing, I realized that the seat in the cockpit was hollow (wasted space!).  There are holes cut into it for some reason, so I decided it was a perfect place for tiny things like chapstick.  And, like everything else will be, it is attached by utility cord to the boat.  I freaking love little hidden nooks and crannies like this.  

I also tried using the wheels and while I'm impressed at how easily the kayak maneuvers with the wheels, I can already tell how taxing portaging will be.  I just moved it from the side yard to the garage, and some of the portages will be about 2 miles long!
All in all, this was an EXCELLENT day.  I own a boat, y'all!

For the first half of the journey I should be passing 1-3 towns each day, where I'll be able to top off my water, buy food, perhaps find some wifi, etc. During the 2nd half (after St. Louis), I should be passing towns about once a day, or occasionally every 2 or 3 days.  No biggie, I'll just have to make sure I've got enough food and water for a couple days.  In a pinch, I have a water filter and iodine tablets, but I'm hoping I never have to use it.  
With this in mind, I figured I'd take a few staples like nuts and dried fruit, some dehydrated vegetables, and coconut milk powder, and top off my food stores with simple things like canned beans, ramen, oatmeal, hopefully some fresh veggies in towns.  Somehow, though, I went a little overboard in "trying out" camping food, and getting things at the grocery.  And, so, it looks like I actually have a meal for every night of three months.  I have no idea if all this food will actually fit in my kayak, since most of my food arrived AFTER I did my initial packing trial.  But I'm hoping I can carry a month's worth at a time.  I have 2 boxes of food that I'll have my uncle send to me when I'm one month in to my journey, and two months in (and, no, I don't know where exactly, yet).  I also don't know how hungry I'll be with so much more activity in my daily life.  What I'm considering to be a month's worth of food might very well be a week's worth for all I know. It doesn't look like much food, anyway, but I guess that's why it's camping food!  Dehydrated stuff packs light!

  

Not only did I package up a bunch of oatmeal, separate food into 3 separate months' worth of meals, but then with each month, I separated the meals into Dinner, Lunch, Snacks and Desserts, and Breakfast.  I think this will help with packing, and knowing where to find each type of meal.  

Today, my sister went to visit Powell County, where we both went to middle and high school in Eastern Kentucky.  She just happened to see this article posted in the Clay City Times!  

Yesterday I passed my kickstarter goal, and today we're nearly halfway to a good sonde ($1200 above my kickstarter is what I'm hoping for to ensure that I can measure water quality the same way it's been done in the past). Tomorrow night at 11:59pm will be the end of the campaign. I have to keep breathing so I don't cry with joy and astonishment that so many generous people are backing my idea.  It's super humbling and amazing.  

Now that I know I'm funded, I have begun collecting the things I needed to buy.  Namely, my kayak.  I chose to get a used kayak in order to be as environmentally friendly (and thrifty) as possible.  On Craigslist, I found a 17" 3' Aquaterra Sea Lion Plastic Sea Kayak which I'll be picking up on the 21st up in Minnesota.  I'm going to name the boat "Spirit," since I'm going to be recharging my spirit on this journey, and I feel like it's a fitting name for a white boat!

I ordered my solar panel kit today; it's a GoalZero Sherpa 50 Solar Kit, large enough to charge my computer as well as my phone and ipod and has been vetted by all sorts of other adventuresome spirits.  I've also picked up a few small things at J & H Lanmark here in Lexington; a collapsible bowl, a tiny flat can opener, folding spatula, and a handheld collapsible pump for my sleeping pad (so I don't hyperventilate every night, trying to blow it up with my lungs).  My dear friend Ben is lending me his comfortable sleeping pad and headlamp so my old pad and headlamp don't have to struggle to keep up with the demands of 3 months of camping. Tonight I'll complete an order that will include some paddling-specific items, some dried food, GPS, camp stool, tarp, and dry bags. 

When I first had the idea to do this trip, I told my friend Abby (a fair skinned red head), and her first response was, "You'll need a floppy hat."  As the first response to my idea, and undoubtedly some of the best advice around, I decided I needed to honor this Finding of the Floppy Hat.  I found this straw hat (will float, will mold to my head, organic materials) at a thrift shop.  It has two big rivets on the sides so that I could wear my silk scarf with deep sea fishies with it.  Even Mr. Blobby will be joining me! It's my token piece of "fashion wear".  I'm imagining the silk scarf to be much fancier, billowing in the wind behind me.....

I'm so thrilled to have gotten a text message from Dave Forbes, a paddler that's already on the river, warning me about some of the tricky areas up north. I forwarded it on to my buddy Dave Roberts who's leaving in a day or two.  There's supposed to be a lot of rain in the next few days (storms) so hopefully the water levels will be a bit higher and the paddling easier?  I'm just excited that I'm part of a working information water trail!  So cool.  

I spent the past few days enjoying my family for my grandmother's 90th birthday.  My grandfather, 91, said to me one day, "So I hear your parents are trying to talk you out of this paddling thing."  I affirmed.  "And you're still on for it all?" he asked.  I affirmed.  "Good for you!" he said as he clapped me on the back.  It was an unexpected and welcome encouragement from the elder tribe! (And my mom has since decided she supports me afterall, because I'm well prepared.  And my dad is very supportive of the idea, and is just concerned for my long-term financial well-being).

Today, I spent the day finishing a press release I started a couple weeks ago...it's so hard to write about yourself!  I sent it off to over a dozen organizations, magazines, and newspapers that I thought might be interested.  In other great news, I went from 82% funded to 91% funded in just a few hours today! I continue to be bowled over by the generosity and encouragement of each person who has contributed to my Kickstarter campaign.  I've got 3 days left, and I'm confident that I'll make my goal.  And I might even exceed my goal and be able to afford a sonde...