First 2 days

I made it to Coon Rapids on the Mississippi at the end of day 2. I'm staying at my aunt and uncle's house for the night. Been going a lot quicker than I thought. The Crow River wasn't so much a paddle as it was an obstacle course. Saw plenty of deer, geese, ducks, and a couple eagles. Spent last night just outside of Watertown. Everything going fine, glad to finally get started. I have a place to stay tomorrow night close to Ft. Snelling.

Modified Route

For several reasons (legal and otherwise) I have had to chop off the tail of my planned route. Instead of going along the Hudson Bay's shore to Churchill, I will now be going up the Nelson River to Gillam, MB. The Canadian rail runs from there to Winnipeg.

This last minute change of plans will hopefully not detract from the journey.

Tune in

Today at 3:30 I'll be doing a short interview at KDUZ (http://www.kduz.com/). Nothing too serious, just a little chat about the details of the trip. Should be some good stuff.

Goodbye lunch

Anyone who would like to is encouraged to stop by Zella's this Saturday (4-24) from 11am to 2pm. There will be a small gathering of family, friends, and well-wishers meeting. This will be the last opportunity to make a pledge; granola and shirts will be on sale as well. You can also come and write a good luck message in my journal (I definitely encourage it).

Zella's...

I had my last shift at Zella's last night (Saturday). The entire staff at Zella's has been very supportive of the trip. A bunch of my co-workers got me a going away gift of an awesome-looking leather bound journal. They all wrote some good bye messages in it. It was a very nice gesture and I will miss many of them.

The launch date is one week away and I have the whole week to get ready. I am very excited to get going. I got GPS device in last week and I've been playing with it ever since.

Right now the plan is to have a going away brunch at Zella's the day before I leave. Keep checking back for more updates.

Mail

The launch date is approaching rapidly. I have a list of post offices I'll be stopping at. I will not only be mailing letters at these places, but I can pick up mail if it is addressed as follows:

Rutherford Goldstein
General Delivery
City, State Zip Code

Letters will be held onto for 30 days and then returned if I don't pick them up (for some reason).

Coon Rapids, MN
St. Peter, MN
Granite Falls, MN
Breckenridge, MN
St. Vincent, MN

There's been some amazing weather lately and I've been able to get out paddling nearly everyday. I've got my gear list finalized and all together. I've ordered all the topographic maps of Canada I should need. There isn't much else to prepare. All there is left to do is train as much as I can. I'm still getting a large amount of support from many people. I really do appreciate everything. I'm sure knowing all these people are behind me will be encouraging when I need it most.

Also, a local student at the New Century Charter school, Cody Anderson, has been selling Gondola Granola at his school and been very successful at drumming up some support for the trip. Look for more updates on this soon.

Pledges

Went door to door in Hutch trying to drum up some pledges for the conservation corps. Didn't do too shabby. I will hopefully be able to do it again in the near future.

Also, shirts are for sale at America's fitness. Stop on by if you'd like to pick one up.

update

Things are moving along very nicely. I have sold quite a few shirts the past few days, which is great news. Means I'll be able to afford a train ticket back home. Thanks to everyone. I've been out on the water quite a bit lately. Got a nice rhythm down and I can already feel my body getting used to the kayak.

Jan, the new manager of America's Fitness is letting me sell shirts at the gym. Look for them in the near future.

Additionally, I'll be doing some door to door pledge driving sometime this week. If you would like to make a pledge (a certain amount per mile) let me know at golds143@d.umn.edu. All pledges are to be donated to Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa (see previous post for some info about it) www.conservationcorps.org.

On the water

Last night Zella's was rockin to the tunes of Hank Williams and Leadbelly; two of my favorite musicians. The restaurant was pretty busy up until close. A couple shirts were sold and several bags of granola as well. It was a great night and it got me even more excited for the trip.

Additionally, the first donation was pledged for the Conservation Corps; a nickel for every mile. This is great stuff. If I make it the whole way, thats about $130 donated. This is an awesome first step. Please send me an email if you would like to make a pledge as well: golds143@d.umn.edu

As a result of the Leader article, I've been contacted by a newspaper out of Willmar. They'd like to do a story on the trip when I pass through Granite Falls. On top of that, the local radio station KDUZ will be interviewing me on Friday the 23rd at 3:30. Be sure to tune in and get a load of my sweet radio voice.

Got on the water by 8 this morning and went down stream a little ways to Tartan park. Was pretty windy on the way back home and the gear got a little soaked by the waves. Nothing that a simple tarp adjustment won't fix. It felt great to paddle into the wind for a while, good training. While I was portaging the dam had a nice chat with a man interested in the trip. It sure has been great getting all the encouragement from the community.

mmmmmm....bluegrass

The wonderful Zella's Restaurant will be having live music tonight. "The Strollers" will be playing from 6-9. Along with the music will be t-shirt and gondola granola sales. Come stop on by if you're fixin for some bluegrass. www.zellas.net

Also, had the Dirty Gondola fully loaded yesterday. All my gear was only 45 pounds (without any food). Lighter than I was expecting. However, it is good news since I won't have to worry about the weight limit too much.