The Futa

Got back from South America about a week ago. Spent 6 days on the Futaleufu River in Chile. Traveled from San Fran to Dallas to Buenos Aires, Argentina to Esquel, Argentina to Trevelin, Argentina and, finally, to Futaleufu, Chile. Almost two days sucked up by traveling. Not my favorite part of the trip, but necessary to get to a place that is so isolated. Necessary and definitely worth it!

Dramatic landscapes threaded with beautiful, blue rivers. Simple, self-sustaining farmers. Powerful, demanding river rafting. Charismatic, friendly guides and staff.

The one unfortunate factor was the rain. It was suppose to be summer in South America, but for the 6 days that I was in the mountains it was raining. Everyone mentioned how unusual this was, and how it was sunny and hot only a week before. I tried not to let it bother me too much. I was getting wet in the river most days any way. The rain also meant that the water level in the river was very high. In some spots, the water level was too high to safely raft, so I wasn't able to raft the entire river.

I got to try some sea kayaking and river kayaking in an inflatable kayak. It was enough to make me interested in trying some more river kayaking. Maybe in a couple years, I may have enough experience to return to The Futa in a kayak.

As always, I wish I could have stayed longer. It felt like I was packing up to leave just as I was finding a good routine and establishing relationships with the guides and other guests.

Christmas Donation

I really could care less about styling my hair. Until yesterday, I hadn't brushed my hair in more than a year. It would take far too much of my time and care to blow dry, straighten, and fix my hair the way it should be. Long ago, I decided that if I wouldn't enjoy my own hair then why not donate it to someone who would need it. Since making that decision, I've now donated my hair 3 times. The most recent time was yesterday. Something of a Christmas present for me (finally rid of this crazy long hair = relief) and a Christmas present in the form of a wig for someone else; bam...two satisfying presents in one "snip".

It took me a little over a year and a half to grow my hair long enough to donate. Yesterday, the hair stylist put my hair in two low ponytails and CUT! We promptly dropped the two ponytails in to a ziplock bag, placed the bag in a padded envelope, and dropped it in the mail. There are a handful of organizations that accept hair donations. They all vary in the minimum length that they'll accept; shortest minimum length that I have found was 8".

If you are interested, browse these links for more info about hair donation:

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

Wigs For Kids

Locks of Love

Go for it! Even if you aren't crazy about your new cut, at least you know there is someone out there who is crazy about their new wig.

Christmas Breakfast

I love food. Every day is a practice in discipline to resist eating everything. But when the holidays come around, I let loose! One of my favorite meals is Christmas morning. We break out all the good stuff...bacon, eggs, pancakes, bagels, coffee, orange juice. Surprisingly, the most complete Christmas morning breakfast came the year that our parents were out of town, so my brother, sister, and I rallied together to get all the necessary ingredients together. The cooperation between the three of us was probably the most impressive part. My brother, who never contributed to any meals, volunteered to prepare the eggs. My sister, who is usually a grumpy mess in the mornings, was relaxed and agreeable while cooking the bacon. Everyone contributed to the clean up, too, which was also way out of character. It was the best breakfast I ever had....seriously...EVER.

But it will be my goal to make this Christmas breakfast even better. I should start prepping everyone now...

Vacation-ing the "Alicia" Way

I'm in need of a vacation.

But being me, I won't settle for a couple days on a Hawaiian beach or a couple days on a cruise ship. No no. I prefer an ecotourist approach.

Ecotourism (according to Dictionary.com): tourism to places having unspoiled natural resources, with minimal impact on the environment being a primary concern.

I'm not a "pure" ecotourist by any means. I still find trips to historical cities and ancient ruins very interesting. But I am truly satisfied and rested after an adventure to some wilderness in an isolated part of the world. I like being an active participant in my vacation. I like turning in at the end of the day and feeling exhausted yet happy.

I was first immersed in this kind of vacation the summer of 2002. My family joined a group of people on a river rafting trip on the Rogue River in Oregon. I loved the heat, I loved the cool water, I loved getting dirty, I loved paddling through the rapids. I thought the river guides were so rugged and attractive; I went through a phase of wanting to be one.

Throughout college, I had a couple opportunities to get out of town. In the summer of 2003, I went to Alaska and rafted the Alsek River; breathtaking and exhilarating.

In December of 2004, my mom and I headed to Patagonia in Chile. We hiked around the Torres del Paine National Park.

In the spring of 2006, I spent a semester in Australia. I got the opportunity to raft the Tully River in Queensland, and for semester break, a classmate and I drove around the island of Tasmania.

In the summer of 2006, I backpacked for 16 days along the John Muir Trail. This was my first long distance hiking adventure, and it really challenged me physically and mentally but I loved it.

In the summer of 2007, I traveled to research/teaching facility in Costa Rica. I spent most of the time learning, reading, and writing. But just before I came home, I rafted the Pacuare River; a short trip, but action packed.

In the late spring/early summer of 2008, I participated in a 4 month internship in Seward, Alaska. I didn't have to travel far to enjoy the famous Alaskan scenery or the wildlife; it was right outside my front door.

And...now...we are caught up to the present. I've been working steadily since Seward. Living with my parents has made it easy to save some money for my next "vacation".

The time has finally come.

January 2011 - Rafting "The Greatest Whitewater on Earth" - the Futaleufu River in Chile.

Read all about the river and region here.

Wish me luck! I'm so excited! I can't wait for January to come!

Training Room Antics

Here's another blast from the past. I wish I could remember all the details behind this photo, but I can only remember bits and pieces. It was my sophomore year at Cal during spring training. I think it as our last workout before summer break. Instead of the usual conditioning workout on the track, our strength and conditioning coach had us doing a scavenger hunt that required us to take pictures to complete each item of the "hunt". I can't remember the purpose of this photo, but we were obviously going for something goofy in the training room.

I'd like to thank my supporting cast:

Vivian Cheung - on the table, receiving CPR from yours truly;

Jillian Davis - zapping her face with electro stim;

Gabby Abernathy - falling victim to...

Camille Leffall - pouring some toxic substance in to Gabby's mouth.

I remember that we did NOT win the scavenger hunt. Bummer. But we did take a lot of dorky pictures.

Hooray for memories!

Cold Weather Likes and Dislikes

I’m very much a “warm weather” person. I love visits and vacations in crisp, snowy places, but I don’t think I could live there. Granted, I’ve never tried...and I would like to try it someday, but if I find California winters disagreeable, then I’m confident that I could only tolerate “real” winters for a brief period.

While there are things that I dislike about the cold season, there are also things that I look forward to. So...below is my list of likes and dislikes during the “cold” times of the year:

Dislikes:

ripping myself from my warm, cozy bed in the morning

sitting on a cold toilet seat

waiting for the heater in my car to finally warm me up

limited outdoor adventures with the dogs (I don’t mind hiking around in the rain, but Lincoln always gives me a sour look)

means no more flip-flops for a while

Likes:

HOT CHOCOLATE TIME!

wood fires

wearing slippers

wearing hooded sweatshirts

curling up in a comfy spot to read a good book

the thrill when I wake up and see snow on the ground outside (Rare in the Bay Area, but awesome for the day or two when the conditions are perfect)

the crisp, clean air after a rain storm rolls through

I’m sure there are others. What are your favorite or least favorite things about the “cold season”?

I just had to...

Cleaning up my room always uncovers long lost gems. Take this one for example:

My college teammates, roommates, friends...Jenna and Alexis; or as I know them...Brown and Lex! Everyone goes through a dorky freshman year stage. We went through it together (and I tend to think we ended up being dorks together for the whole 5 years).

We aren't teammates anymore. We aren't roommates anymore. But I still miss them and carry them close to my heart all the time. We don't stay in touch as much as we should be, but I have all kinds of memories that always manage to resurface...even if I've tried to bury them.

Lex...I'm forever sorry for puking on your shoes, and I will forever be in debt to you for the way you kept yourself together and probably resisted the urge to just dump me on the side of the road. Or how about when I laughed in your face when you came to my room crying after eating asphalt when trying to chase down the bus? You don't worry; I told that bus driver what was up...in the most passive "Powers-way" possible. And although I wasn't there for the "crutch delivering popcorn" incident, I never doubted that it happened. And..."EXIT ONLY!!"

Brown...you could never escape us; especially, since we had a motion activated web cam in the common room. I'm sure I scared the crap out of you when I rolled off the bunk bed in the middle of the night. Or when the pipe under our sink burst and we were all scooping hot water in to the tub. And I still remember playing dodge ball in one of our last spring practices our Junior or Sophomore year, and I wrecked your thumb. I'm so sorry about that.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T...that goes for the both of you!

We've all grown up in our own ways. They are both married. Lex has a beautiful baby boy, and I'm long over due for a visit to Brown in Texas.

I'm sure we all had one or two special people who were key figures during important milestones in our lives. Brown and Lex were mine...Who are yours?