Posted by Nancy D. Brown

Emperor Penguins photo courtesy Quark Antarctic ExpeditionsWant to visit Antarctica in February compliments of Quark Expeditions? Bloggers have a chance to win a 12 day, all expense paid trip on the cruise ship Lyubov Orlova, a 112 passenger ship. You can join me in entering the contest, or you can vote to send me on this adventure of a lifetime.

Here's what I had to say in my official entry:

"Toto, we must not be in San Francisco," remarked Nancy Brown, as she awoke from her dream. The northern California adventure travel writer was still reeling from the news that she had been selected to be the official Quark Environmental Blogger for the February 2010 Expedition to Antarctica.

Kayak photo courtey Quark Antarctic ExpeditionsBrown, a blogger and social media fanatic, was looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and sharing her discoveries with her What a Trip readers, as well as her Twitter, Facebook and YouTube friends from across the globe.

She'd often fished the wild rivers of Alaska, and felt at home on float planes, helicopters and Zodiac rafts, but the adventure traveler had never been on a cruise ship to Antarctica for an upclose encounter with penguins.

"I see the Quark Expedition as an amazing opportunity and am honored that I was selected. There was a huge response to the call for entries and there was quite a lot of competition among the well qualified participants. I look forward to blogging about my experiences and hope this missoin will be part of the continuing global effort to protect our environment."

Asked how her family felt about her upcoming 12 day adventure, Brown shared that her husband has always been extremely supportive of her travels. The family's two teenagers have learned to become self-sufficient during their mother's journeys and always look forward to her return.

However, Nancy can't go on this expedition unless she receives enough votes. So do your part. Vote for Nancy D. Brown. And, yes, you do have to register to vote.