Finding a $1,000 better flight out of the international hub in Miami to my once-in-a-lifetime voyage to the elusive 7th continent, I opted to catch the latest train from Orlando on a chilly February evening (leap year actually!). And as my long flight overseas leaves at an uncomfortable 7:30am the next day, the earliest train wouldn’t get me to my boarding gate in time for departure.
Pro: cheapest fair arriving at 12:45am
Con: no cheap airport sleeping pods in the Miami airport with only a 5 hour layover
Nonetheless, I get dropped off at the new Terminal C after a busy day at work with literally only 10 mins to spare before boarding. With only my 2 carryons, I settle in for a 3 hour journey (facing forward of course, no need to chance motion sickness already, as I’m sure the Drake Passage will kick my ass soon enough).
It’s an uneventful trip, as I catch up on emails, snack, last phone calls, changing my out of office notices & reading up once again on arrival details. And in typical form, I had no idea the final train stop wasn’t actually at the airport so I quickly pivoted to get an Uber driver. GDC!
And then I fully intended to scope out a clean and quiet(er) corner in the behemoth of MIA to call mine, and plop down. But the uncertainty of flight delays had other plans for me. My plane was updated to include a 3 hour delay, so in theory, I could have taken the first train of the day but now had to wrestle with braving no sleep or finding a cheap hotel near the airport. I chose the later, thankfully, as another 1 hour delay was tacked on too so I grabbed about 6 hours of sleep & a full La Quinta breakfast.
After a 36 hour travel day to reach “El Fin del Mundo”, we touch down at 7:15am between snow capped peaks and the port town of Ushuaia, Argentina. Despite being groggy, I dropped off my bags at my cute hostel & knew exactly where I was heading to explore.
Luckily my daily Spanish lessons over the last 3 years paid off, as I was able to exchange for the local currency in pesos & buy a quick 7km bus ticket to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. I chose the furthest drop point at Bahia Lapataia to enjoy 3 easy hikes along the extreme border of the Chilean mountains & the icy waterways pointing toward the vast, nothingness of Antarctica.
One of my favorite pastimes is to pick an epic lunch spot where I can enjoy a quiet snack & just soak it all in. I found just that in a multi-colored volcanic rock ledge overlooking the expansive bay.
It’s amazing what you can notice in your surroundings, if you purposefully take the time to just be:
Soft ripples in the quiet lagoon
Ducks flapping away chasing each other
The mesmerizing crunch of the sand between the tourists’ hiking boots
Splash of the birds diving down to catch dinner
Wild horses grazing in the tall grass just offshore
I let my mind wander about the journey that lies ahead & slowly release my everyday worries (at least for a couple of weeks).
Bon voyage to the frozen tundra & to joining the 7th continent club!!! 🚢🇦🇶🧊🥶
What’s the odds that our college girls group had decided three months earlier to reconvene in Durham, NC the last weekend in September to watch the Duke vs. Notre Dame football game AND it just happens the infamous ESPN College Game Day Show picked the Duke campus to broadcast from for the 1st time in history?!?
With all the added hype and buzz all-around, it wasn’t even a second thought that we had to partake in the festivities. Even though I wasn’t too happy after only 3 hours of sleep that our alarms were blaring at 5am, I was determined to keep my promise.
We pulled into a baron parking lot and made the half mile walk to the campus hub to find hundreds of blue devil crazies already piled into a mosh pit in front of the main stage. So we post up just to the left of the main stage.
Alanda gets interviewed multiple times by local newspapers and radio stations, as she is proudly sporting her #3 BJ player jersey. We also have a plethora of homemade signs that we desperately try to catch the lenses of all the hovering TV cameras. And we are in direct eyesight of the famous commentators and numerous crowd giveaways.
A local DJ keeps the tunes pumping all morning and we thoroughly enjoy all the festivities. There is even a field goal kicking challenge, where one of the new commentators puts up his own money for any college student that can kick a regulation snap. The chosen one hilariously wiffed his first attempt and then the redemption kick went about 5 feet hitting a cameraman. Everyone was absolutely rolling in laughter on live TV!
The show always ends with a celebrity guest picker, who is charged with revealing who they think we come out victorious. As a Duke alum, comedian and actor Ken Jeong makes a grand entrance and literally starts twerking on stage! Meanwhile, icon Lee Corso leaves the stage suddenly during the middle of the final segment only to return in a full on green elf outfit signaling his allegiance to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The crowd boos resonated loudly as the cameras faded away and we joined in on the all day tailgate nearby.
Awesome, priceless experience in Durham, NC to kick start the second half of the 2023 football season! (Update: the blue devils did end up losing the game in a nail biter that came down to the last minute of play).
I purposely planned a 60 hour layover in the middle of the Atlantic on the tiny island of Sao Miguel, which is part of the Azores. Why? Because why not?
Starting off my 10 day early September getaway, I had 10 hours to decompress from a busy summer and chose to explore the harbor front area after stowing my bulky clothes book-bag at the airport lockers. So I meandered through old cobblestone streets lined with quaint cafes, reveled at lavishly ornate churches, indulged in the prevalent gelato stands and eventually even enjoyed a nap under a charming shade tree.
Before I could blink, I was off and ready to tackle numerous hiking trails on Madeira island (which was an easy additional 2 hours on a small jet plane further). After walking +145k steps or +52 miles throughout our adventures, I’m so thankful I built in time on the back end of my trip to revisit the Azores to recuperate.
Before the sun arose, I was already landing back in the capital of Ponta Delgada and joyfully sat along the rocky coastline to enjoy the first rays of light. After dropping my bags at the hostel, I made my way to the ATV operator to explore the top tourist destination of Sete Cidades. We zipped up to the highest point on the island and breathtaking views of the volcano caldera. Five uniquely colored lakes flanked the shore side, quaint town and we thoroughly enjoyed weaving around the single track trails crisscrossing the cliffs. Best excursion ever!
Day 2 is a blur of napping, reading, blog writing, pool time, leisurely walks and vacation wind down.
Not ready for this adventure to end BUT no regrets…. I love this adventure life and start planning to bring the next dream to fruition!
For a few years in the early 2010s, I seriously dove into becoming a runner and entered my share of local races.
Growing up, I admittedly hated running with a big passion and would do any type of training instead of putting one foot in front of the other aiming endlessly down the road. It also didn’t bode well for me that I abhor getting up before the crack of dawn on weekends, so racing was never going to be sustainable competitively for me.
I wasn’t breaking any records but I religiously made time 6 nights a week to make the loop around my neighborhood into my own version of therapy. My preferred distance was 4-6 miles and the consistency in my regime also helped me get in really good shape transcending into accomplishing my dreams of conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Everest Base Camp.
And for four straight years I was the reigning female overall champ of the local Give Kids the World 5k in November. It wasn’t much to boast about but for me it was that elusive goal that I never thought I would be destined for. It was also an important lesson in branching out of my comfort zone and totally committing to something new.
After my last victory so close to eclipsing the 20 min 5k goal, I had to immediately head to my new job as the Associate Executive Director at the Dr. Phillips YMCA for a special Veteran’s Day salute to our heroes. Smiling ear to ear, I slipped in the back doors to take a quick shower and that is when my life literally turned upside down.
As I was drying my hair, I started losing my balance and became extremely lightheaded. I barely managed to finish getting dressed and sluggishly dragged myself down the long hallway to my new office by holding onto the walls to keep me upright.
Once inside the break area, I collapsed onto the floor and violently started puking. I faded in and out of consciousness while my head felt like it was exploding. The rest of that ridiculously embarrassing day is mostly a blur, but I’ll never forget my new boss calling 911, me only agreeing if the ambulance crew took me out the back door to avoid making a scene, then being wheeled smack through the middle of the service looking like a disheveled ghost. Completely mortifying for this introvert!
After 2 nights in the hospital and stumping the doctors with my severe symptoms, it was finally determined that I had been struck with a viral vertigo somewhere in the finish line area that had attacked my entire system. Then for a week, I slept on the couch and couldn’t do anything but stare straight ahead. Complete torture for this active nut!
No reading
No watching TV
No running
No work
I tried to return to work with restrictions, but I drove just 2 miles to the closest gas station to fill up and the world was still spinning. Definitely not safe for me to be anywhere near the highway, so I turned around and barely made it home safely to assume my familiar position on the couch.
After another 2 days, I attempted again and slowly gained my life back even though running on a treadmill didn’t resume for +2 additional weeks.
So over the last 9 years, I’ve only had one major relapse temporarily sidelining my adventures but live with the distant threat it could flare up anytime or anywhere. My biggest fear is still when approaching a 14K+ mountain summit or the anticipation of my Antarctica cruise through the hairy Drake Passage that I will be paralyzed by this uncontrollable phenomenon.
But I’ve also learned not to let any fear stand in the way of my goals and aspirations in life.
The most daunting piece of any Antarctic cruise is without question the Drake Passage. It’s truly a luck of the draw and the two day journey is necessary to endure if you truly desire to experience the harshest playground in the world.
The passage opened ~140 million years ago, has 91 active volcanoes along the route and boasts the oldest rocks on Earth at ~1.5 billion years old. Due to its unique geography, currents at this latitude are able to circumnavigate the globe without interference and can lead to brutal 50+ ft swells & 100+mph winds.
So you just have to “embrace the suck” and power through the inevitable. With the help of modern medicine through both patches and pills, I felt just moderate seasickness much to my surprise. I am notoriously sensitive to even the slightest rocky conditions, so being self confined to my bed for only half a day of the voyage is considered a big success.
The crew would show us the wind and swell maps at our nightly briefings:
Blue/green = ideal conditions 1 out of 10
Orange/yellow = generally good 4 of 10
Purple/pink/red = brace yourself 8 of 10
Without much interference, we glide through this unpredictable channel with great speed and hoping our good fortunes would translate into a seamless rest of the trip as well.
Despite the occasional big dip, the natural sway of the 50 year old G Expedition became the routine and catapulted us into an unbelievable week of exploring. The crew repeatedly reminded us that our calm 1 out of 10 cruise experience was an anomaly, and I certainly didn’t take that for granted.
Because we still had the return passage to brave through…..
I always take off for my birthday, so 2023 found me extending a business trip in the cool hub of Traverse City, Michigan.
Despite an overcast and rainy forecast, I couldn’t wait to enjoy some downtime in my third visit to this lovely town. Add in that I sorely miss the changes of seasons, so any excuse to take an excursion in the late fall colors is a gift.
A dear friend made the direct flight up north to meet me for three days of decompress time. We were fortunate to have use of another friend’s local cottage (aka mansion) to base out of prior to her selling it.
We took advantage of numerous local hikes and made time to catch the sunset over Lake Michigan. While I would normally be fine just snacking, my friend is a major foodie so we ate like queens and hit up quite a few of the quaint cafes lining the downtown streets.
And being Friday the 13th, we blindly signed up for a haunted tour of the famous insane asylum. I’m thankful it was fairly tame, as I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween gore. Despite the steady downpour adding to the eery vibes, we toured the old patient quarters and underground tunnels to cap off an uneventful evening.
Being the end of the busy season, we took advantage of sales at all the tourist traps and even enjoyed the last scoops of the locally made ice cream for the year.
We cozied up every evening early in thick blankets to watch all the new Netflix movies into the wee hours of the morning, while indulging on buttery popcorn and piping hot cocoa.
The weekend ended in a flash and it was back to reality.
As a serial perfectionist, it took me way to long in life to not only be ok with the unknown but to actually thrive in it.
One of my fav quotes: “Anything that doesn’t challenge your comfort cannot grow you. Comfortability kills more dreams than ignorance.” – Prosper Onuoha
When even the crew is snapping photos & eager to get ashore, you know you are on an anomaly of a cruise. The weather gods graced us with unbelievably calm waters & plentiful zodiac explorations.
The 129 passengers were divided into four boat groups for the voyage, rotating launch times. So twice daily, we layered up at our designated spots on the second floor mud room & ventured out into the wild. I was enamored with each & every iceberg we grazed past and equally as impressed with all the wildlife encounters along the way. And we didn’t know how rare our perfect track record (8 of 8 attempts) really was!
Fog & dense clouds surrounded us for most of the journey, but we had many pockets of brilliance where the sky peaked through always dazzling us with its patchy canvas & revealing a myriad of dimensions. We even frequently braved the bitter cold on deck just to see a new peak or be surprised by the piercing echo of a new snow caving.
What I will miss most is the complete stillness & overwhelming sense of peace I felt being in such a harsh & unforgiving landscape. The extremism was mind boggling…. truly a once in a lifetime destination!
FearlessAdventures 