Write down your boat's ID number. I didn't. I should have, for the police report. While I had an installed hatch on it to make it unique (should I run into the turd who snagged it), it's not really good enough for the police report.
The lack of a current on the Illinois river, well... sucks. For upstream, it is nicer than usual, as you can imagine, but if you are trying to start and once place and get to the other, it's all on your strength. If there is any kind of head wind, it just becomes that much harder.
Paddling in freezing rain is awful. Looking back, we almost should have taken a break and huddled under a tarp. While my jacket was waterproof and I had a tarp as a spray skirt, my boat still got a ton of water inside, and my hands froze badly.