A Few Things To Do In Mesa This Weekend

If your looking for a few things to do in Mesa this weekend you can look no further than a morning visit to the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet. Over 1600 shop spaces and more than 1.4 miles of shopping! Food court and snack bars. Free parking and admission.

We stopped for an hour, did some shopping and that was good for us. So many neat and useful things that we didn't want to spend more than we had already. What a great spot to shop though!

Another of our few things to do in Mesa this weekend will include an afternoon show of The Duttons.

In case you may not know, they were semi-finalists in the 208th episode when they performed La Bamba. Piers Morgan buzzed their act but they still received enough votes to come back and be in the top 10 the following week. And look where they are now- making a name for themselves!

The whole family performs a genre of songs from bluegrass to classical music in Mesa and in Branson. The show is worth a see alone to watch Amy and Rudy play their violins. Amazing!

And these are just a few things to do in Mesa this weekend.

Affording Being On The Road

If you are thinking about having some kind of a road trip, whether long or short, you will probably be keen to ensure that it doesn’t bankrupt you. But this is one of those things which can often be surprisingly difficult to do cheaply, and you will find that it requires a certain amount of planning and preparation to make sure that you do do it as inexpensively as you possibly can. As it turns out, it is easy enough to be on the road for cheap, but you need to be aware of a number of things, and those are what we are going to take a look at today in this post. What follows is a few ideas about making your next road trip as cheap as possible, no matter where you are planning to go or who with.

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Your Means Of Transport

Going on a road trip can mean many things, and it might not be exactly what you initially think. If you are keen to save money, in fact, you might not decide to go for the traditional family saloon car way of getting around, as these tend to not be the most efficient fuel-wise. Instead, you might prefer to take a coach - if there are enough of you - so that you can save a little money that way. You’ll be surprised how cheaply you can hire a coach, or a minibus if that is more suitable for your purposes. If you are going alone or with one other, then you might instead choose to go by motorcycle, which is even more efficient still - and has that added advantage of meaning you can more easily put the miles behind you. If you do go down this route, be sure to check out the likes of Solomotoparts first and make sure that you have all the safety gear you really need to get going. Being clever with your means of transport, as you can see, can be a great way of affording your road trip more easily.

Driving Efficiently

It is also of course possible to drive in a manner which is more efficient, and which will therefore save you a lot of money in the long run, and make the road trip considerably cheaper overall. As it happens, learning to drive in this way does not take much and is not all that hard, as in fact it is just about knowing a few key things which you can take on board. For instance, you will want to make sure that you decelerate rather than brake wherever possible, as braking actually uses more fuel overall. Similarly, if you change gears at exactly two and a half thousand revs, you will use less fuel too. And you should make use of any downhills you have by putting the clutch down throughout them, so that you break transmission and just allow gravity to carry you wherever possible. All of this, while being small changes, will add up to make your entire road trip considerably cheaper overall, and yet it is so easy to do.

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Planning Meals

Food is going to be one of the most important things, and the better that you plan for what you are going to eat, the less that you are going to spend on the whole. This is because many of the places that are easiest to stop for a bite to eat on the road are considerably more expensive for that very reason. It is much better to have some food packed which you can eat, and to know about some places you can go to eat which are cheaper than service stations, even if that means going slightly off track from time to time. The important thing is that you are planning ahead, as by doing that you can make sure you are going to save time and money as much as possible. If you fail to plan ahead, conversely, then there is no reason to think that you are going to save money on the food and drink. This is something which is so easy to do, and yet so easy to overlook, so you need to remind yourself of it to make it happen and make it worthwhile.

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As you can see, you can easily make a road trip considerably easier to afford so long as you follow some of these basic rules of thumb. Do these, and you will find that your money goes further, which in turn means that your road trip will be much more enjoyable.

Worth a Look- Bass Pro Shops, Mesa

Worth a look in Mesa, is the Bass Pro Shops. 

We wanted to give them a shout out because they graciously allow overnight parking on their lot as we were passing through the city with our RV.

The store offers so much more than shopping. Anyone would love the amount they have in store for those that love the outdoors. Its worth a look to come in to see the giant aquarium, all the taxidermy wildlife,indoor water fall, and of course the indoor shooting range ( bucket list) . Gerry and I played and he beat me twice of the two games we played. Haha we had fun..and for .50 you get 25 shots.

If in Mesa or passing through, drop in and see them. You'll be glad you did.

Foodie Spots In Mesa

If your looking to kill two birds with one stone, and looking for some foodie spots in Mesa to check out, look no further than North Val Vista Drive, just off of the 202.

We were pleasantly surprised to go to the famous outdoor bbq joint called Jalapeno Bucks- known for its awesome pulled pork, brisket and ribs. This is a busy place and yummy food! Order up at the window and seating outdoors.

Right next door, added another one of the foodies spot in Mesa, the B&B Farms Citrus Store- and so much more!
We got to see orange groves growing right around the two buildings. I bought a tangelo inside and it was to die for!

Seriously the fruit tastes so much better here than what I buy in the store.
There were bees making honey right in the store, 

as well as fresh honey, preserves, nuts, homemade candy.. and more.

Loved the place...and in the next day or two we'll be sure to continue with looking for foodie spots in Mesa and area.

Invest In a Set of Wheels for Your Small Business

When you first start out in business, chances are that you operate mostly from home. You’ll be focusing on web design, product development, manufacturing, and generally bring your ideas to life! However, as you begin to expand, you’ll find yourself spending increasing amounts of time outside of the house. This is when you might want to start considering investing in your own set of wheels for work!

Investing In a Car

There are various situations where you can seriously benefit from having a commercial vehicle. You might take on a commercial property that you have to commute to and from each day. You are likely to have to attend more business meetings. You will also probably attend a few trade shows and exhibitions. Sure, public transport would get you from one place to another relatively easily. But who wants to be packed into a carriage during rush hour?

Investing In a Truck

As your business grows, the amount of orders you receive is likely to increase and you may find that a stockist wants you to transport large quantities of products to them. This is when you should invest in a company truck. While you could use national delivery services or a courier, this will prove costly over time. By purchasing a truck and hiring a qualified and competent driver, you can save a lot of money in the long run. Just make sure you have insurance on hand and that you have the contact details of a truck accident attorney, just in case. The infographic below should help you to take care of any problematic situations that could arise!

Infographic Design By truck accident attorney

Encounters & Experiences At The Phoenix Zoo

Gerry and I had a great afternoon at the Phoenix Zoo today.

There are great encounters & experiences at the Phoenix Zoo when you visit.
We visited their 4D Theater - which was a short 3D film with in seat and in theatre effects, on the Congo. 
We also did something for the bucket list- and that was to ride a camel. 

Isaac the camel was so well behaved and felt so soft.. but man he had a HARD back to sit on. Gerry said he had appreciation for anyone bareback riding them for any distance! 
The zoo has so much to offer though. Other encounters & experiences at the Phoenix Zoo include:  Harmony Farm's Red Barn and Discovery Farm, Giraffe Encounter, to feed one of the giraffes, the carousel and the polar slide- 200 feet of snow tubing fun!

We also just had to spend some time over at the orangutan enclosure. After watching Orangutan Jungle on Love Nature, we really fell in love with them, learning their habits and ways. It was so nice to be able to see them at the zoo. They were so cute covering themselves up with their blankies too. People really seemed to love spending time watching them too!

We even saw quite a few wild bunnies running around. These two hang around the elephant enclosure, sharing the remnants of food they have.
The day can be so full with all the walking you can leisurely do around the zoo, or shorten it up with a 25 minute Safari Cruiser guided ride.

Snacks, meals and drinks and more are plenty too, and the Desert Marketplace offers souvenirs and gifts.
We enjoyed our visit and wish to thank the Phoenix Zoo of Arizona for their hospitality. Gerry and I found all the staff we encountered very friendly and accommodating and loved the encounters & experiences at the Phoenix Zoo!

Boondocking at Saddle Mountain

Boondocking at Saddle Mountain for a few days has been a change of scenery once again.

Lots of room for privacy, although we have found the house flies to be bad out here and really not sure why. They just hang at the door though, so will be nice to leave them behind tomorrow!
We are about a 10 minute drive from the small town of Tonopah, Arizona boondocking at Saddle Mountain.

Although we didn't drive to town, we drove up the road today about 5 minutes + and got to cross another thing off the bucket list. We saw a cotton field and touched the cotton!

I always seemed to think cotton fields were only in places like the Mississippi and such but they are here! I found them so much like the cotton balls you get in the bags but only with seeds in them. We read that they would have already been harvested for the Fall so guess what we did see what what was maybe left over from the harvest.

While boondocking at Saddle Mountain we also are able to take full advantage of nature. The mountains in our backyard so to speak, and even some of the saguaro cactus here.

Even enjoyed a hike today, and lots of space to walk Jakey too.

Poston, Arizona: WWII Japanese Internment Camp Memorial

During WWII, a Japanese internment camp was opened in May 8, 1942 and its peak population was almost 18,000. The prisoners were mostly from the California and Southern Arizona area. 
It was so unfair what happened to these people. Placed in camps because of their being Japanese at the time of the war.
We looked for what remained of the old camp up the road but couldn't find it. May try again on our way back through another time.

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide – Gift Ideas For The Kids

Valentine's Day will be here before you know it so we're rounding up a nice collection of gift ideas for the kids. 

                                   FOR THE KIDS

S.W.A.K.™ (Sealed With A Kiss) by WowWee -

We all know there's nothing like a kiss on Valentine's Day. But what if you find yourself far away from the ones you love? S.W.A.K.™ (Sealed With A Kiss) by WowWee lets you send your love near or far for only $5.99. It's a keychain that really kisses - so your loved ones can carry your affection whenever they need it, where ever they go. And with 12 designs - each with their own unique "mwah" sounds - you can find the one that matches any personality. Available at Walmart and complete with a postcard, stamp sticker, and removable keychain, each doubles as a photo holder to display your favorite memories. So, why send a card when you can send a kiss for Valentine's Day? This is the perfect gift for parents sending to their kids at college, grandparents who are unable to make the trip for Valentine's Day, family and friends who are away serving our country, and so many more.



More gifts ideas coming soon...

A Day's Stay @ River Island State Park, Parker, Arizona

On our travels around southwestern Arizona, we stopped through at the River Island State Park, near Parker, Arizona.

River Island State Park is a smaller campground with 37 campsites, a ramada, a doggy park, ( that was very clean and Jakey loved), sandy beach, cove and boat launch. It also has a nice trail for hiking and quaint little cactus garden. Lots of places to stroll and hike- and we loved that! Lots of places to walk Jakey - bonus!

If you need to pick up some odds and ends, the River Island Market 1/4 mile down the road offers groceries, food, deli, gas, etc.. You are right beside the highway here, but traffic noise slows down at night and you really don't pay too much attention to it in the day.

This is one of the cleaner parks we stayed at and we enjoyed our stay!