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Tags: Volunteer Travel / Tucson / Arizona Travel / → All Tags

Save Big Bucks (and Help Big Pigs) in Tucson This Summer

A common misconception about volunteer vacations is that they can quickly get to be expensive endeavors. A new travel guide, "Volunteer Vacations Across America" by Sheryl Kane, however explains how you don’t have to shell out big bucks or travel half way around the world to get the satisfaction of helping others. "The biggest misconception about volunteer vacations is that they have to be very pricey, which isn't always the case," Kayne says. In the book, Sheryl lists more than 200 inexpensive volunteer programs right here in the U.S.

The opportunities for volunteering include outdoorsy destinations like national parks, summer camps for kids and animal sanctuaries like the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary in Tucson, AZ.

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Tags: Dunkin' Donuts Alternatives / Donuts / Tucson / → All Tags

Do-Nuts So Old School, They Won't Drop the Hyphen

Probably everyday since 1935, Tucson residents have driven past the massive Le Cave's Bakery, looked up at its vintage facade and wondered, "what's a vegetable do-nut?"

The answer, it turns out, is both deceptive and delicious. Of course the recipe is an old family secret, but we're assured that despite the beautiful greasiness, it's not anything too lard-y.

Whatever it is, these old fashioned do-nuts have attracted admirers far and wide for their perfect balance of light, fluffy texture and rich, sugary taste. Additionally, Le Cave's keeps their do-nuts traditional by sticking to the old-school flavors: powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, chocolate frosted and maple glazed, each one completely covered in a healthy coating of the sweet stuff—no bald spots here.

While the bakery is not necessarily a place for donut inventiveness, it is a stop on the route of donut history, where you will leave wondering if any of the new-fangled flavors from other donut shops are really necessary.

Related Stories:
· Le Cave's Bakery [Yelp!]
· Are Donuts the New Cupcakes? [Jaunted]
· Designer Doughnuts the Bay Area Way [Jaunted]

[Photo: housechick]

Tags: Airport Hell / Airports / TUS / Baggage / Luggage / Delta / United / → All Tags

More Airport Scales We Can't Trust

Tucson International is the latest airport to have luggage scale irregularities after New York's Department of Consumer Affairs revealed just before Thanksgiving that scales used by American Airlines at JFK were inaccurate. The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures says all 15 scales used by Delta and United at TUS failed inspection.

While officials didn't say how inaccurate scale readings were, what we do know is that United charges $125 for bags over 50 pounds and Delta asks $25 for items between 50 and 70 pounds.

We'd normally say "You shouldn't be checking bags anyway," but that's hard advice to head if you're packing your skis or snowboards this winter.

Related Stories:
· Two Airlines' Luggage Scales Fail at TUS [Tucson Citizen, via]
· New York Airport Scales Now Accurate, No Thanks To American [Jaunted]
· Airport Hell coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Noël Zia Lee]

Tags: Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge / Active Travel / Cowboy Vacations / Labor-Day-Travel / → All Tags

Summer Vacations With An Edge: White Stallion Ranch

Summer's winding down, but the long Labor Day weekend means there's still time for one last Summer Vacation with an Edge.

Arizona's White Stallion Ranch sprawls across 3,000 acres of wide-open range near the Tucson Mountains and Saguaro National Park, offering the perfect blend of rugged outdoors and relaxation to cap off your summer and ease into fall.

The ranch owns one of the largest herds of horses in the state, and since this is Arizona, that's saying a lot. Expert guides lead rides for everyone from the novice rider to the most experienced, on rocky mountain paths and fast, flat dessert sand. For want-to-be cowboys the ranch even offers team cow penning three times a week.

For those who prefer their feet on the ground instead of in the stirrups, White Stallion's staff leads day-long hikes into the Tucson Mountains. After a day on the range, or in the hills, guests gather for a real southwest BBQ and have dinner under the stars.

Related Stories:
· White Stallion Ranch [Official Site]
· Summer Vacations With An Edge [Jaunted]
· Summer Vacations With An Edge Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: White Stallion Ranch]