T-minus 26 days until go time. Getting very excited for the river and still trying to put all the finishing touches on trip preparation. Received two Astral Camino PFD's from www.austinkayak.com this morning. These are very important obviously because the river can get rather treacherous when sharing it with barges and unforgiving weather.

I've updated the map showing the first couple of weeks of donations, which was about $510. I apparently read the map incorrectly, because 510 miles actually brings us to about St. Paul, MN. I thought the original map I made looked a little funny, must have been tired when I made it. So here is an updated one, plus an update to 845 miles (which oddly enough brings us to Cordova, IL, my original map's destination), because $845 has been received so far!!

The ultimate goal is to receive $1 for every mile we travel, some where in the $2,500 range. After tallying up the current donations, it puts us at Cordova, IL! That's 505 river miles. I will be making an updated map this weekend after the week's donations. Let's just say we won't be at Cordova for long, but how far will we make it this week?

Tested out the solar panel kit that I got the other day. Works awesome, it's great being able to harness the power of the sun. Got another donation today in the mail as well. Don't be shy people!

 Tonight was the Scholarship Awards Program at the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton. My dad, sister, and I thought starting a scholarship to honor and remember our mom was a good way to use the money our family received at the funeral. My mom attended FVTC where she received her Associates Degree in Nursing in 1983.

The Julie Sweet Memorial Scholarship is available to Nursing-Associate Degree students in their second year who have maintained a 2.5 GPA and who demonstrate financial need. Tatiana Chernyshova proudly accepted the first ever award this evening, pictured below with my sister and myself.

I also had a few items in the mail when I got home. One being the solar panel kit I was awarded Voltaic Systems, can't wait to give it a test run this weekend and see how it works! 

A brown package wasn't the only thing in the mail though today. I also received a few envelopes containing different monetary donations. I have added a "donors" page now, containing the names of those who have donated to the cause. I'm extremely excited to see things are really coming together. 

I received an email today regarding a contest I had entered in April, and wouldn't ya know, I won!

The company it was through makes solar chargers for those going where electricity isn't easy to come by, they are http://www.voltaicsystems.com/. 
We were in need of a solar kit to aid in the charging of our cameras and Iphone, and after a brief phone call with Jeff at Voltaic Systems, we had the perfect set up, consisting of 2 x 3.4 Watt solar panels going into a V39 battery. The panels will be on "extension cords" so we can move them around the canoe and the battery will stay in a dry bag, as we don't want it to get wet. Voltaic is also including the cradles needed for our two separate cameras.

This was a huge moral booster. We now don't need to worry about keeping our electronic devices charged, just have to keep them dry, which may be difficult out on the ole' Miss.

Here is a link to my information they posted on their blog, check it out, http://voltaicsystems.com/blog/april-gear-winner-canoes-down-the-mississippi/.