Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #5

It's been a few days since I last wrote due to the fact that I have been under the weather since early Tuesday morning. There has been a stomach flu bug going around for a while and it finally caught up with me. Being sick really does set you back that is one thing that is for sure. Now I feel like I have to catch up on everything I needed to due over the last 3 days. I started off Monday great and it went downhill from there. I had gone down and rode my bike 8 miles along Balboa Creek where it runs into the Pacific Ocean to shoot some video of the plastic accumulation after the first major storms. The most shocking thing wasn't how much plastic I saw but how much Styrofoam debris there was. After that I headed to EcoUsable and did some work and ended my day with a 3 mile run. Then the bug hit with full force. Sometimes you just have to give into it and rest so I did. Luckily I was feeling well enough to book my ticket to St. Thomas US Virgin Islands last night and I started making a list of equipment and clothes I will need. I am set to leave LA January 4th and arrive in Miami then catch a flight to the Virgin Islands. Everyone has been asked to arrive 2 days before departure so we can get acclimated and do emergency training. I can't believe it is now less than 3 weeks away! I have to go try on some Keen shoes today so I know my size and I am hopeful they will get me a pair as one of the sponsors. I also reached out to GoPro HD cameras to see if we can get a few cameras for the voyage to capture anything we happen to see in the best quality possible. Until next time...