Hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim

Justine Arizona

About a month ago I got to do something pretty awesome: I hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim.

Most people who do a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike put in months (if not years) of planning and physical preparation. For one thing, the trek is about 24 miles in total, so it’s fairly physically demanding. On top of that, I went in August. This time of year, temperatures at the bottom of the Grand Canyon often exceed 100F (about 38C). So you have to be in pretty good shape.

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I thought I didn’t have anything to say, so I wrote 1000 words

Justine Let's get personal

You may have noticed that I haven’t been writing much lately. I have plenty of material for What’s in that hole? but haven’t written any of it up or posted it. I’ve also been up to some interesting things this summer, but the only thing I wrote about was my trip to Belize, and that was two months ago. And, maybe most noticeably, I haven’t written anything on a truly personal level since… actually I don’t remember. (Edit: turns out it was this post five months ago.)

But enough is enough. I promised to write not just when things are good, but also when things are tough. So, without further ado, I am going to have a go at writing something personal.
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Birthday Trip: Belize and Guatemala (part 2: scuba!)

Justine International

Wow – it’s already been more than 2 weeks since I posted part 1 of my Belize/Guatemala trip recap! I’ve been teaching some summer session engineering courses which has kept my days full so time has flown by. I’m glad I finally found some time to finish up part 2 though. It’s been fun to reminisce!
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What’s in that hole? – Episode 15

Justine Arizona, What's in that hole?

Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 15 of What’s in that Hole?, a fun series I’m writing for my blog.

In the last episode, we traveled to San Francisco’s Presidio for our holes. This time, we’re on the road again but much closer to home – I found today’s holes on my recent stop at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, which is between Tucson and Phoenix. Read More

Things to do in Arizona: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Justine Arizona

On a recent drive between Phoenix and Tucson, I made a snap decision to visit the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The ruins are off the main route between the two cities, but aren’t too far out of the way. Still, in my dozens of trips back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix, this was the first time I took the time to check out the ruins.

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Spring break in San Francisco, CA

Justine United States

Last week was spring break at the University of Arizona. Since I’m just working part time and my only duty is teaching, I took the opportunity to travel to San Francisco to see some friends.

Originally, my trip was actually planned for a weekend in February but a storm messed up air travel in the area and my flights were cancelled. In the end, it was for the best because the change gave me more time in SF plus there was much better weather! Read More