2025 Trip 5, The Drive To California

This post is about our drive from St. Joseph to Santa Clarita, with stops in Wichita, Kansas; Spring, Texas; and Marfa, Texas.

Our first stop on the trip to California was an overnight stay in Wichita, Kansas. The next day we went to Tankanyika Wildlife Park so we could see the internet sensation baby pygmy hippo Mars. Here is the entrance.

Our first activity was an add on we paid extra for but was really worth it. It was a meet and greet with a capybara. We learned the capybara is the largest living rodent and is native to South America. It’s closely related to guinea pigs and distantly related to chinchilla and nutria. Capybara are highly social and can be found in groups as large as one hundred. They have no natural predators, so they can be very friendly. Our capybara was named “Pinto” and was pretty friendly.

We got to pet Pinto. They like to be pet on their chins, chest, or butts, but not the top of the head. Her hair was very course and bristly.

Pinto even climbed in our laps.

Next we went to the Pygmy Hippo display and saw Mars’ dad, Pluto.

In the wild the mother pygmy hippo raises the children while the fathers stay away. The park mimics that so Pluto is allowed in the enclosure separately from Mars and his mom, Posey. We got to feed Pluto while he was out. We fed him by throwing food into his mouth from about ten feet away.

We walked thru the kangaroo display and were able to pet some of them and a giant tortoise. The kangaroo fur is really soft like rabbit fur.

Our next fun experience was to have a lemur sit on our lap in the lemur exhibit. Our lemur was named Acon.

The next interactive display we visited was feeding the Lorikeet birds.

A bird named Peanut really liked Cindy and crawled all over her.

I got to feed a rhino. It was like feeding the hippo, but you were a little closer.

This placed was full of surprises. There was a python display in one of the Men’s bathrooms.

Here are some of the other animals we saw on our visit.

There was a huge variety of monkeys.

And several birds.

And finally, here are some pictures of Mars and his mom Posey.

We spent about five hours at the park and were able to see all of it. Tankanyika Wildlife Park is a must visit. Use the link below to have a great time yourself. After our really enjoyable visit, we hit the road and drove to Ardmore Oklahoma where we spent the night to break up the drive. The next day, we finished the drive to Spring, Texas. We stayed with our daughter and her fiancé for the weekend. The first day, they took us to a local winery they are members at, Bernhardt Winery, for an event with shopping and wine tasting.

Corrianne had a made a delicious charcuterie picnic for us, so we found a table and set it up.

The grounds were beautiful.

They even had a live band play named, “The Trips.” They were a trio and they were tripletts. The music was not great, but was fine for the setting.

After our snacks and some music, we went in for some wine tasting. Most of the wines were average, but a few were really good. So good, we actually bought some to take home. We ended up buying some “Bayou Blend,” a red wine blend. The winery described it as a blend of 100% Texas grapes that embodies southeast Texas with essence of Spanish moss, evergreen, and cypress. It showcases dark fruit notes, earth, and hothouse flowers. Whatever. We really liked it and it was reasonable priced at around $25. We enjoyed our visit to Bernhardt Winery, and we are sure you would enjoy a visit as well, so use the link at the end of this post. Before we left Corrianne’s house, we had a gingerbread house making contest. It was Cindy and I versus Corrianne and Alex. Here is our entry.

Here is Corrianne and Alex’s house.

We all agreed Corrianne and Alex had the better house and won this round. The next day we drove to Marfa, Texas.

We stayed at the Hotel St. George.

I would say it was in the downtown area, but the downtown area is so small, it seemed like everything was within the downtown area. Our room was really nice. The shower had an interesting log piece in it.

After getting checked in, we had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. It was very good but not quite link worthy. The next morning, we walked to breakfast at the Sentinel. On the way there, a train went by and we now knew the source of the nighttime train noises.

The Sentinel had great food and is worth the stop. Use the link to try it for yourself.

Across the street was the Marfa Spirit Company. We really wanted to check it out but it was not open during our stay. We stayed over a Monday and Tuesday and learned a lot of things in Marfa are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Something to consider if you are planning a visit to Marfa.

After breakfast, we walked around the town area.

We ended up at the Presidio County Courthouse.

Here it is from a distance.

Here are some pictures from the inside of the courthouse.

There was a stairway that led to the dome. Of course we had to check it out.

The view from the dome was pretty good.

Walking back down the stairway was a little intimidating, but we did it.

I found a hilarious sign at the Auditors’ Office. Government employees have the same sense of humor no matter where you are.

We walked to the Para Llevar Bodega and Deli for lunch, but it was on the closed-on Monday and Tuesday plan. Our next stop was Angel’s Mexican Restaurant, a sketchy looking building on the outskirts of town.

Luckily, the food was fine and we survived lunch.

We walked around a bit more and returned to our hotel to freshen up for dinner. We ate dinner at the Waterstop. It was the previous location where all the steam trains stopped to get water along their various routes. Now it is an above average restaurant.

We were seated next to the bar, so of course we had to have a drink. They were delicious.

Our meal was pretty good; however, I ordered my steak medium rare, and it came out rare. So rare, I had to send it back to be cooked a bit more. That eliminated any chance of a link. We returned to our hotel and slept. Unlike the Waterstop, the Hotel St. George is very link worthy. You know where it is so use it for a great stay in Marfa. About 30 minutes out of town is an art exhibit called Prada Marfa. It was erected in 2005 in the middle of nowhere. It looks like a stand-alone store but is not. The artists had Prada’s permission to use the trademark.

Marfa is a very interesting town and worth a stop. For the best stop, plan on staying there any days except Mondays or Tuesdays. We will return……Just not on a Monday or Tuesday. Use the below link to check it out for yourself.

My next post will cover the rest of the year, including a short trip to Carlsbad, California. Until then, try and avoid the fake name brand shops in the middle of nowhere.

LINKS

Tankanyika Wildlife Park

2025 Trip 4 – Prescott, AZ

This post will cover our trip to Prescott, AZ with our friend Sylvia. This was our first stop on our return to St. Joseph, MO.

We were off in the morning and had a relatively easy drive. We stopped once for gas in a small town in California and the gas was $6.60 a gallon, so I only put in enough gas to get into Arizona. Once we were inside Arizona, I filled up for $3.60 a gallon. Insanity. We stopped for lunch in Needles, California at a place called The Wagon Wheel.

This was a very interesting place. It had some unique decorations and is worth a stop just for that.

Whether you stay for the food is your choice. The food was average at best, so clearly no link for them. A few hours further down the road in Seligman, Arizona, we stopped for desert at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap on Route 66.

This is a really fun stop. The outside is surrounded by classic cars and fun signs.

The entrance doors were fun too. It had doorknobs on both sides and most people, us included, would try and open the door from the wrong side.

Because I was parked in front of the restaurant, an Asian tourist leaned up against the front of my truck and posed for several pictures. She left before we could get a picture of her. We were sure she thought the truck was part of the display and were not bothered by it at all.

The ice cream was very good as well. Delgadillo’s Snow Cap is a must stop when passing by. Use the link at the end of this post to find it for yourself. We finally made it to our Airbnb, a place we call, “Frankie’s Place.” We have stayed here twice before and really love it. On our last stay, I was able to talk to the owner, “Frankie,” who is a really nice person. The inside has some interesting art and front door.

As an avid reader, Cindy loved his selection of books.

Frankie clearly has a great sense of humor. Check out some of the titles. My favorite is, “How to Avoid People.”

Cindy said her favorite book was on the middle of this shelf. I never figured out which one it was.

The backyard was very rustic with large boulders all around. Plus, there was a spa we used almost every night.

Frankie’s place is hands down one of our favorite places to stay. If you would like to stay there, search Airbnb for, “Cottage in Prescott Hosted by Frankie,” or “Home in Prescott Hosted by Frankie.” Book early because the place is booked a lot. Dinner in Prescott was at the Angry Crab Shack. This was a peel and eat crab and shrimp boil kind of place.

Cindy had the fried shrimp and fries basket. Sylvia and I had peel and eat shrimp with sausage.

You had to choose your heat levels were 0 thru 6. Sylvia and I had the one pound headless shrimp. Sylvia chose heat level 3 “Sizzling,” and I had heat level 4, Hot “Can’t fell my lips.” I originally wanted the order the 5 Angry Ghost “Inferno,” a ghost pepper based sauce. Cindy balked at the idea so I stayed with the 4. It was too mild for me. However, the 3 was at Sylvia’s limit of heat. She made several comments about how hot the spice was, but she was still able to eat all of her shrimp. The next day we walked around the historic downtown area. It is a square with shopping and restaurants surrounding the courthouse. It is called Courthouse Square. The west side of Courthouse Square is called Whiskey Row. It is called Whiskey Row because the town of Prescott began in 1864 during the gold rush. It became the first capital of the Arizona Territory. Gold brought prospectors, and businesses followed. Soon, about 40 saloons packed into the one block area, giving the street its nickname.

Whiskey row on the left and the courthouse across the street on the right

After lunch and some shopping, we returned to our place and freshened up. We were still full from lunch, so we went to Park Plaza Liquor and Deli for a drink and some snacks. This is a liquor store that also serves food and drinks. They also have a brick oven pizza oven in the back that makes great pizza. The menu is pretty varied for a liquor store. It reminded us of a Smooth Endings on steroids.

Rows and rows of wine, spirits, and mixers

We had chips with elote dip and some drinks. Everything was delicious. We returned to our abode, went in the spa, and checked out all of the stars. The next day we drove about an hour into the mountains north of us to a ghost town named “Jerome.” Jerome is located at 5,200 feet and is built into the mountain side. In the late 1800s, copper was discovered in the area now know as Jerome. The mining peaked in the 1920s and Jerome had become one of the largest cities in Arizona, with a population around 15,000. When the mines closed in the 1950s, the town was nearly abandoned with less than 100 people remaining. If not for the artists who saved it, Jerome would be the largest ghost town in the nation. Today, you can browse art galleries that were once bordellos, mingle at restaurants that were once opium dens, and have a drink at some of the oldest saloons in the state.

The Jerome Grand Hotel sits near the top of the town.

There was a long stairway that seemed to go up the hill forever.

We had lunch at Vaqueros Grill and Cantina.

The inside was interesting with a Dia de Los Muertos theme.

The food was very good, but not to the level of earning a coveted link. Jerome is a cool little artisan town worth the visit. If you would like to check it out for yourself, use the link at the end of this post. We returned to Frankie’s Place and freshened up. Once again, we had overeaten at lunch and were not that hungry. The perfect solution was to return to the Plaza Park Liquor and Deli for drinks and salad. The ladies split a Cobb Salad and I enjoyed a Greek Chicken Salad. The salads were pretty darn good and hit the spot. We returned to our place and went in the spa again before getting some shut eye. The next day we drove just over an hour to the Montezuma Castle National Monument. Montezuma Castle is a 20-room high-rise apartment, built into a towering limestone cliff. They were occupied from 1100 AD to 1400 AD. Here are some pictures from our visit.

**Diorama of the living conditions when it was occupied**

Montezuma Castle National Monument is an interesting and fun stop. Use the link in the usual place to visit it yourself. We drove about half an hour to the town of Cottonwood and had lunch at Belfrey Wood Fired Grill and Brewery. The building is an old church and looks pretty cool. Cindy and Sylvia split a BLT with fries. They loved their meal and ate every last bit of it. I ordered the turkey melt with a green chili sauce and onion rings. The onion rings were some of the best I have ever had. The sandwich was really good, had plenty of turkey, and the sauce was out of this world. I could eat that sandwich for lunch every week. This place definitely earned a link so use it for some delicious eats. After lunch, we drove to the historic downtown area and did some wine tasting at Arizona Stronghold Vineyards Tasting Room.

Based on the negative experiences we have had in so many other places (we may be wine snobs since we live in California half of the year near some of the best wine in the world), we were not sure what to expect. It turns out they grow most of the same varietals in Southern Arizona as they do in California. We each tried a different tasting, so we were able to share 18 different wines.

They all ranged from good to very good. We had a really good time and enjoyed our tastings. While not link worthy, Arizona wines are well worth the time to stop and enjoy a tasting. Like McArthur, we will return. For dinner, we decided to have a nicer dinner and made reservations at the Badger’s Den. The Badger’s Den had very high reviews and was hard to get a reservation at. We hoped those were good signs.

The inside was very casual and well decorated. Our server was friendly and attentive. Cindy and Sylvia split a 16 oz ribeye with sautéed mushrooms, steamed vegetables, and a baked potato. The potato was excellent, and the vegetables were fresh and cooked to perfection. They asked for their steak to be cooked medium. It was actually cooked to between medium-rare and medium, which in my opinion, is exactly how a ribeye should be cooked. They were a little annoyed but managed to eat most of their steak.

I started with a cup of clam chowder.

It was one of the best I have ever had. My main course was the special, blackened swordfish with asparagus and rice.

The swordfish was obviously previously frozen. I expected that because there are no oceans near Arizona. That being said, it was perfectly cooked and delicious, as were the asparagus. For dessert, Cindy and Sylvia split some carrot cake.

Again, they loved it. We will definitely return, and you should try it as well. Use the link at the end of this post to get those reservations, because the Badger’s Den is a very popular place. On our last full day in Prescott, a summer thunderstorm rolled in, and we had some lightening with pretty loud thunder. The storm lasted until the early afternoon, so we stayed inside and waited it out. Once the storm was finished, we did some local shopping. For dinner, we returned to Park Plaza Liquor and Deli for some more elote dip and to try some of their pizza.

The dip, pizza, and atmosphere were outstanding. We will be back. The next day we packed up and headed to Phoenix Airport to drop Sylvias off so she could fly back to Burbank Airport. This was a necessary stop because Sylvia needed to get back to Santa Clarita and we were continuing on to our Missouri house. After dropping Sylvia off, we hit the road for Albuquerque.

My next post will be about our triumphant return to St. Joseph where we have sold our current house, have purchased another, and must move between houses with a 5-day delay between escrows closing. Happy, happy, joy, joy! Until then, don’t get caught without a house.

LINKS

Delgadillo’s Snow Cap

Park Plaza Liquor and Deli

Jerome

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Belfrey Wood Fired Grill and Brewery

Badger’s Den