Sarah and Zach's visit

Mom and I were lucky enough to have the Latham's visit this weekend. They drove down for a wedding in Yosemite and stopped by on their way back. We ended up going downtown to the Italian Festival which happened to be very uneventful. Luckily the weather was spectacular, so we sat outside at the Wild River Grill and enjoyed some appetizers and wine. It was great to see the Lathams. I always enjoy it when they come down. Mom cooked up a fantastic meal for dinner, chicken kabobs, steak, spinach, some Idaho potatoes and a gigantic Idaho squash. They headed out this morning back up to Sun Valley. To bad we don't live closer, I love having them around.

Beautiful day on the Flume

My Mom is so much fun and I am so lucky to live close to her. I am very fortunate to have a mom that can keep up on hikes and bike rides. Today, she proved yet again she is in great shape. You inspire me Mom to be like you when I am your age. 

We rode the Flume Trail in Tahoe. It was a spectacular day, no wind, no clouds and a perfect temp. This is definitely the best time of year in this area. The BIG hill up to Marlett Lake definitely gave us a challenge, but we conquered and defeated the mighty hill. The rest of the ride proved to be pretty easy and the views, well... they were amazing. Of course, it is hard to beat a panoramic view of the lake. 

Photos finally up on my gallery

I finally was able to upload my photos onto my web gallery. Check the link and see the great pics from Argentina and Chile.
Now, that I have had a chance to go back and read the posts I wrote I can see how bad my writing really is. I sincerely apologize for that. This can truly be considered another jackass move. I will try to work on that.

Anyways... enjoy the pics. Truly a life changing experience.

Touch down ...

I'm officially back in Reno. I've gotta lot of stuff to do. Back to
business. First things first... I'll keep ya'll posted.
To be continued...

Not an ending!

Well, the last couple of days I have to say have been very hard.
Everything inside me said stay in SA and travel with my new friends.
If this was a couple years ago, I probably would have done so. But, I
know I have a lot of things I need to work out before I can stay a
while in SA.

My poor travel friends think I am the most wishy washy person. One
minute i was telling them i was staying the next i was saying i was
going. Jackass move for sure. When I was with them all I wanted to do
was stay, when I found myself alone to actually think about my actions
of if I stayed my gut told me to go home. So... I found myself doing
the responsible thing and I got on the plane. Trust me, even up until
the plane was pulling out of the gate I was thinking of how I did not
have to do it. I already miss you guys!

Truly, this experience has opened my eyes up to the world. I realize
the posibilities and opportunities. I am very fortunate to have such
an amazing life. I am at a huge transition stage in my life and to me
this is only the beginning. My goal is to go back as soon as I close
some doors. Then, I will have the opportunity to open more.

I hope to see you guys soon! Claire, Trevor, Sam, Al and John.

Santiago

After an all night bus ride from Pucon to Santiago, we arrived in at
7am on a Sunday. Sundays in Santiago are like ghost towns. We could
not for the life of us find a place to eat breakfast. The funny thing
about Chile is there really isn't drip coffee. It is all instant, but
surprisingly alright to drink. All I heard about Santiago, is that it
is not worth going to. Actually I like the city a lot, except for the
massive smog problem they have. The city is actually quite safe and
the mountains are incredible that tower over the city. I think I like
any place with mountains.

After all of this time on the road, I realized I have not talked about
any of the people I have met along the way. I have been so fortunate
to meet some amazing people and each one has forever changed me in a
good way.

Claire and John Morris from England are truly the most entertaining
couple I have ever met. There energy and spunk makes me so happy to be
around. Claire will forever be my friend, secret crush and travel
mother. Everday you guys surprised me with the funny things you said
and your amazing outlook on life. I now have an English accent because
of you guys:-)

Samantha and Allan Jamisola are the most caring and genuine couple.
Everyday was an adventure and you guys were always up for more. I felt
like you guys took me under your wing. Sam you are also a great friend
as well as my mistress from Claire;-) I can't wait until you guys
visit me in Tahoe.

Trevor, you are a riot. You have a great energy and were always a
blast to be around. I wish we could travel on together, it would just
add to our amazing memories. Dancing on bars, etc!! Keep smiling
because you have a great one. Anyone in your group is very lucky to
have such a great leader. You are welcome to Tahoe anytime;-)

Lauren and Kim, thanks for your kind hearted soles and your fantastic
Spanish. You both are an absolute pleasure to be around. Good luck at
school and thanks for the great dance sessions.

Everyone else was so much fun and a pleasure to be around. Thanks for
the great memories!!

Rafting, hot springs and el señor hanky

How much can I fit into a day? Well... that is what everyone is
wondering. I'm now called the mountain goat and the energizer bunny.

Rafting was on the agenda for the day! I've been rafting so this was
something I just wanted to do, because well... I'm in South America.
It was definitely worth it. Class 4 rapids, lots of water and a guide
who was hysterical. I was the only one who had done it, so watching
the first timers was a hoot as well. They were so scared!

Afterwards it was off to the hot springs for the sunset. They were
next to the river and the water was delightful, but like any hottub I
don't last to long. It made me so relaxed.

Beware the next bit might be to much to handle. Just a warning for
ya'll.

Now... Since I'm traveling we all have to share bathrooms and the
bathrooms are not in the best condition. For one you can not put
toilet paper down the toilet. It has to go into the trash next to the
toilet. Two, I'm staying in hostels so the conditions range from bad
to even worse on the bathroom side of things. It is definitely
something u have to get used to. Well, I did my business yesterday
morning and for some reason the business did not want to get flushed.
I know this sounds terrible, but it was there all day. After a days
worth of flushing and other peoples business, it still was there. We
all had quite the laugh and we named it el señor hanky. Of course when
your traveling the littlest things become hysterical. At one point I
was laughing so hard I was crying. I guess this is my jack ass move
for the day. Next time, I'm not sure what I could do different except
prey the toilet flushes properly. I tried to make that as PG as
possible.

Cheers!;-)