maybe the bucket list, may be the escape pod,,,

Spent some time in wee hours over probably too much bourbon, talking to Bruce about many many tings,,,,

one of them is the GREAT LOOP.  

and maybe I am a little loopy for desiring to do this,,,,,

This guy did/is doing/has finished and returned home(????), the entire Great Loop, Or is it the Greater Loop? I know there are a couple of shortcuts and alternate routes for it, and it may be that he started his journey in Norway (no, he did not kayak to the US from Norway,,,,).  Dunno. , (I haven’t watched all of his vids yet so can’t say, YET, as to if he finished or not.,,).

Watching further into his ‘series’ he was going down the Tennessee River mid November while we were having one of THE coldest spells of this year. Brrrrrr!!!!!

But after I came home from the lake, I spent an hour on the Erg, headphones in, and watched three of his episodes, and was thinking about what time of year I would want to start such an endeavor, as well as WHERE to start,,,, due to the river scene/currents, I would want to go the counter-clockwise route as you look at that map, and I believe that is the most common route, for much the same logic (“go with the flow” on at least half of the trip and save on fuel costs.  The Great loop is really a bigger boat journey, though it has been done in kayaks, rowing dinghies, and sailing canoe)

Like, don’t start in Ohio down the the Ohio River to the Mississippi in July.  You’ll end up in the Gulf during hurricane season,,,   Probably not the best time to attempt kayaking the Gulf of Mexico, even if you did stay close to shore.   And then you have the northern gales of New England Nova Scotia that tend to seasonal too,,, (need to research that if I keep up this bucket list listing,,,). And you most definitely do not want to be on the Great Lakes in November (clear thru to March,,),,,  AND you have the whole logistics things going on.   Granted, there aren’t many areas that are complete wilderness along the way, you will find more Civilized places that not, and a ready supply of cash or some-such method of making purchases means you can relax a little on food supplies.   And I did research, way back when I wanted to walk the Appalachian Trail,  how to mail stuff to yourself vIa General PO.   That was how I got my mail when I was living on Emerald Isle while stationed at LeJuene  for both schools I attended there.  (love that Island, the western part of Virginia beach area.   Woke up to sunrise over the ocean and went to bed with sunset over the ocean.   Just the way the island is shaped and where I resided at.  and it was during the winter so the suns travel was more southerly,,,) 

Some people will say I am nutz to want to do something like this Solo, but when you think about it, I have done FOURTEEN flipping years SOLO,,,  One year paddling solo would not be that big of a psychological block to me.  And even he meets people along the way, has several offer him places to recoup, regroup, shower and shave, so its not like kayaking up the inner route to Alaska or anything (where Orca and Kodiak’s share the road with you.). (though that sounds like “fun as hell” to me too.)(Note, Mary, the neighbor has asked me repeatedly “don’t you get lonely?” and NO, not really.  My current efforts to find someone are not out of loneliness, but desiring a partner for the rest of my journey in life.  Not essential, but desired,,,  there is a difference.)

Now, will it happen?  dunno, kinda wanna see what “She” has to say about such a gabberwhacked idea.   And who knows, she may be as addicted to paddling as I am and say “LETS GO!!!!”  (which is where the whole solo argument dies an untimely death,,,)(and maybe I am looking for Mz Right, who is as addicted to paddling as I am, so I have someone to hare off on krazy adventures with,,,,)

The only thing I can say WON’T GO with me is Lizzy.   Great boat, but for something like this, I just can’t get the gear in her that I KNOW I would need.   I would need a different boat, with larger hatches and slightly larger compartments    Lizzies rear compartment is 12″ short of the cockpit and the front compartment is reduced in length as well, making for a spacious cockpit that is mostly wasted space.  And the hatches,,,, 8″ OD holes in the deck,,,,  Seal up great, but so damned small you can’t fit decent gear in without a shoehorn, prayer, and maybe a whole lot of cussing,,,,  I don’t like ‘storing’ gear in the cockpit because of lack of ways to secure it, and in event of a capsize/wet-exit, said gear is gonna go swimming too.  No desire to go chasing after the yard-sale whiie I am attempting to get back in said boat, or watching that essential piece of gear sink to the depths.

Now, if I could find a P&H Cetus HV,,,,   

I’ll deal with that when/if such time comes.  Besides, this little foray into lala-land of a bucket list would need a substantial nest egg set aside for ‘contingencies’ as well as the day to day needs.  Nothing to rush into, thats for certain.

AaaannnnyyyyWhooos,,,, its Muhnday, back to the meat grinder mind-numbing J.O.B. thingy to make the simulacrum of an income in a recession,,,,   And Christmas is coming on fast,,,   Not many that I need to buy gifts for, (mostly the Bub,,,   Unka Dio needs to make a showing for the little Hellion.) but money doesn’t grow on trees (except for one dog in Colombia,,,)