It doesn’t matter if you travel for business or adventure. Take enough trips, and you begin to search for just the right gear: The best suitcase or pack, clothes that require minimal maintenance, small toiletries, and maybe the most essential item: the best shoes.  Shoes take the brunt of any trip and for my lifestyle need to serve many purposes. Can I hike to a climbing wall in them? Will they look stylish in the city? How many hours can I walk before my feet hurt? It’s a tough standard to meet, so when I finally find the pair that works, it is very hard to say goodbye. But that day...

I didn’t start out as a solo traveler. My first times in a foreign country were with friends who knew the ropes and spoke another language or two. But it wasn’t until I went out on my own that I really started to learn the art of travel. The better I got at it, the more I liked the freedom of calling the shots, the more confident I got at trusting my own judgment, the more people I met, and the more I saw when I didn’t have to wait for others. Still, as any lone wolf will tell you, there are times when being on your own sucks. There are days when you’d like someone else to make the decisions....

I’ve had a head full of coffee the last few weeks. As I learned in Cartel’s Seed to Cup classes, you don’t need a lot of money to learn how to brew a good cup. I’ve invested in a grinder and French press. From there, it’s practice and learning technique. For pointers, the baristas left us with a list of free and inexpensive resources. Here’s a short list of recommendations from Cartel’s barista extrodinaire, Jen, to get started. Online Guides are Free. Try guides from micro-roasteries like Stumptown Coffee, Ritual Roasters, Barismo, and Counter Culture Coffee. Connect with Experts on...

The thermometer just hit 114F in Phoenix setting a new record high. It’s that moment in our long, hot summer when the end seems nowhere in sight. Each morning starts with at 90-something degrees, a does of cabin fever, and thoughts of how the heck I will get out of here. Unfortunately, so is everyone else. It makes turning escape fantasies into budget affordable reality a little harder. Here are some tips I try to follow while scanning the Internets for at least an idea of outdoor relief. Cash in Miles While it’s pretty much impossible to use airline miles for last minute reward seats in the...

Does anyone think it’s strange that the Girl From Arizona doesn’t write about Arizona? Outside of climbing, I don’t write about my adopted state. I figure there are other blogs that do a much better job of that. Still, all the things I seek out when I travel are suddenly popping up in my backyard. Phoenix is becoming both an established beer city AND a coffee town. While beer events are plentiful, coffee shops are also jumping into the mix with a number of activities that are helping everyone understand just what it is that makes the local culture so great. Seed to Cup August 13 – 15 I’m...