The Story of Christine and a Project Update

Just an interesting adventure pic to start the post. Th pic is of Christine from a trip in Chile in 1991 that I did with Shane Benedict and Bob Beazley. She's a 1967 Chevy Impala that we traveled in for 3 months and had more stories than you could imagine. Click here to read a little about it. http://mysite.verizon.net/resxsdht/id3.html
Forgive the formatting as I haven't been able to figure out all the workings of the site builder Verizon has, but hope you enjoy the writing.

Where are we now? Well, I can say we are farther along than I thought we would be, but not nearly as far as I'd like. Now that's said, what's been accomplished and what's happening?

First, Paddling for a Purpose has generated interest and support across several communities. Leading that has been the paddling community with their support and sponsorship. Four quality companies have stepped up to sponsor this project; Nantahala Outdoor Center, Clipper Canoes, Bending Branches Paddles and Astral Buoyancy. Thank you very much.

Also, the response from paddling friends, past co-workers and others in the industry has been great. In particular, Joe Jacobi and Wayne Dickert, both paddling friends and past Olympians have asked if they could join me for a portion and others have asked about it as well. That means a tremendous amount to me so thanks. Mostly being a whitewater crowd, most of my friends say, "cool project" and offer their support. However, these two guys are always up for any kind of paddling and are some our sports premier spokesmen. They are pretty much always up for a paddle of any kind. I look forward to paddling with them and others along the way.

I also put out an email announcement to all the school personnel. The response was great with several teachers and admins contacting me with their support and are excited about the project. There will undoubtedly be more support as we get closer. Summer seems like a long way off at the moment, and with Christmas and the economy, it's not the best time to solicit donations. I'm looking forward to engaging the local community even more as I get closer to the launch.

The last few posts have been directed toward the veterans my father served with. The response has been very touching and rewarding. Hearing from those that served on the same base in Vietnam and in the same outfit he flew with has been worth all of this. Their stories are simply amazing. A self-published book detailing personally told stories from their experiences is for sale. Its titled, "Cleared Hot" and available here:http://www.lulu.com/content/2813093
The book contains 232 real-life stories submitted by USAF and allied pilots who participated in the Vietnam war as Forward Air Controllers, those who flew with them, those who supported them on the ground, and, in some cases, those on the ground whom they supported.

Technology and equipment wise I'm doing well. Sponsors have been able to support boat, paddles, PFD, and some other small items I'll need. I Ebayed my fathers Bose CD/Radio and bought an Acer One laptop for the trip. At about 10 inches X 7 inches and weighing about 2.5 pounds, it should fit the bill well. I'm going to be asking AT&T to help with a broadband anywhere USB card. Otherwise my brother has a plan I can use, but the cost will still be more than I'd like. Keeping my fingers crossed on that. Also have my GPS and topo maps al ready to go. I won't rely on GPS, but use maps and compass mostly. The GPS is in case I'm not exactly sure where I am. Hate when that happens. Oh...also my weather and VHS radio for info and communication are all set to go.

My last 2 pieces of sponsorship needs are camping gear and food. My camping gear is needing some help. After years in Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica and Vietnam, as well as personal trips around here in the Smokies, it's not in the best shape. Sleeping pad, tent, cookware, knife and water filter are going to be either repaired, or replaced. I'll be looking at sponsorship for this end of things once Christmas has passed.

Now, food is one of those questions a lot of people are asking about. "What will you be eating?" How will you cook it?" To answer, I'll be eating lots of easy to cook, high calorie meals. Probably rotate about 5 different recipes using dehydrated meats, pasta, rice and grains. Breakfasts will probably be oatmeal, or fruit/grain mix. Cliff Bars, P-nut butter, honey dried fruits and foil packets of chicken will be lunches. I'll also have some dried veggies and other stuff to throw in the pot for dinner. I'm am looking for a sponsor for that end as well. Again, after the Christmas rush has passed is when I'll be starting to plan meals and such.