DB, I can ask for feedback...but I don't offer it much.   :D  I think that a panel of a few of you could do a GREAT presentation on your first solo trips, what you did, what you learned, and the joys and relative risks of being "alone."  I know I feel a lot more refreshed after a solo trip than a group paddle.

The day after paddle was fantastic.  Broke in (figuratively) my new-to-me wood/canvas boat. Gorgeous weather.  One swim (my son, who got spun around by a submerged log into another submerged log).

Thanks again...the cogs in my brain are turning.