2024 Trip 2, Part 4 – Our Return to St. Joseph, MO With a Visit from Todd and Edie

This post was originally going to cover the rest of our trip to St. Joseph, MO. But we did so much stuff that it got too long. So now this post will only cover our visit by Todd and Edie. What are you waiting for, let’s go!

After our eventless and enjoyable drive back to St. Joseph, we grabbed some dinner for ourselves and our soon to arrive guests, Todd and Edie. They drove across the country from California to Tennessee and Kentucky, during some pretty questionable weather, and encountered none of it. Cindy and I were jealous. They had visited with some of their Kentucky (and other places) family and visited some distilleries in Tennessee and Kentucky. The main event of their trip was to attend the 150th anniversary of the running of the Kentucky Derby, complete with the hats, suits, dresses, and of course the mint julips. Now they were going to stay with us for five nights and learn what we love (and don’t like) about the Midwest. Because the storm we had driven around was supposed to hit us before midnight, we had to prepare Todd and Edie for that possibility. Ater explaining the difference between a tornado watch and warning, describing the tornado siren, and showing them our version of a tornado shelter, Edie was not a happy camper. She said if there was a tornado watch, we could “watch” her run to her car and drive back to California.

After dinner at our house, we all got some well needed sleep. Luckily, the storm missed us like so many of them thankfully do. The next day we went for lunch at Joe’s Kansas City BBQ. This is one of our favorite BBQ places and we really wanted to share it with Todd and Edie. Todd is great at making BBQ. He smokes and BBQ’s different types of meats and other things, like a smoked cream cheese appetizer that is just phenomenal. And don’t get me started on his Armadillo Eggs. They are top notch. With all of Todd’s BBQ cooking experience and Edie’s BBQ tasting experience, we wanted to see if they enjoyed Joe’s as much as we did. We arrived at 11 AM, right when they opened. This was a great strategy as we were one of the first people in.

I had the Z-Man Sandwich, their signature sandwich. It had beef brisket, smoked provolone cheese, with two crispy onion rings, on a toasted Kaiser roll.

Cindy and Edie had the Pulled Chicken Breast Sandwich which was a smoked chicken breast, BBQ mayo, lettuce and tomato jam on a potato bun.

And Todd had the beef ribs with burnt ends, a good choice to judge their BBQ talent.

We loved our food, as usual. But what was the “Todd Ruling?” Todd says they earned a link. You know where it is. After our delicious lunch, we headed over to Union Horse Distillery. Their website said they were open, and we were excited to try some local whiskeys and spirits.

It turned out their offices were open, but the distillery and tasting room were closed. Dirty rats. Not only do they not get a link, they get a thumbs down for having such a misleading website. From there we went to the Country Club Plaza for coffee and shopping. We returned home, freshened up for dinner, and all headed out to Smooth Endings for drinks and Taco Tuesday. We met the Culvers and Broyles there and had a great time. The next day Bobby and I took Todd to the Mound City Golf Course. Scott had to work so he couldn’t make this trip. The course was in great shape.

Here we are on the 7th hole tee box. The 7th hole borders a cemetery, so yes that is a cemetery in the background.

Another great time was had by all. If you want to golf next to a cemetery, use the link below. The next day, we went to Atchison Kansas to visit the most haunted house in Kansas, the Salle House. We visited this house once before, but Todd and Edie had not been there, and they like spooky stuff. We were a little early for our appointment, so we stopped to see the Missouri River, which was swollen due to a lot of rain along its route. Here is a full-sized tree trunk floating down the river.

Next stop was the haunted Salle House.

Here is some of the basic story of how the Salle House came to be haunted.

I’m sure you guessed that Salle didn’t make it through the surgery and now haunts the house. But she is allegedly not the only one.

Three ghosts. Holy cow. And there have been numerous investigative teams and shows that claim the Salle House is legitimately haunted.

During our first visit, I never felt anything specific that felt “haunted.” It was the same on this visit. But it is a creepy house. It smells musty and just feels a little off. Here is the dangerous staircase to the second floor and a creepy baby doll in a carriage.

The kids’room is still very unsettling.

Once again, there was a Magic 8 Ball in the kids’ room. Last time I asked it if the Salle House was haunted and it answered, “Yes, Definitely.”

I had to ask the same question again. Here was the result.

The Magic 8 Ball cannot be wrong twice, so clearly the house is haunted. If you want to visit a haunted house, fell free to use the link at the end of this post. Atchison Kansas has a bunch of alleged haunted houses. We drove by several of them.

We stopped at the visitor’s center and there was a display for MGP Distillery. There is a MGP distillery in Atchinson. Even though you may think you have not heard of MGP distillery, you have probably drunk some of their whiskey if you’re a whiskey drinker. If you have drunk Templeton Rye, Angel’s Envy Rye, Bulleit Rye, James E Pepper 1776 Bourbon and Rye, or Whistle Pig Old World Rye, you have drunk MGP whiskeys and bourbons. Since I love ryes, I have had the majority of the rye’s they produce.

At the visitor’s center, we spoke to Ms. Krueger, who had booked our Salle House tour. What a perfect name for booking tours at a haunted house. And that was not lost on her. She said her now deceased husband would get a lot of prank calls from kids because of his last name. If they called more than once, he would threaten to go into their dreams and harm them. They rarely called again. You have to love someone with a great sense of humor like that. Ms. Krueger recommended we eat at Jerry’s Again in downtown Atchinson.

Jerry’s Again is located in a historic building in the downtown area. The food was average at best and there will be no link in the usual place. Ms. Kruger may know scary, but she doesn’t know great food. On the drive home, we stopped at the Riverwood Winery and Distillery. Todd and I did a whiskey tasting. Todd tried a few local whiskeys, while I tried a rye selection.

One of the ryes was from Union Horse, the place that was open, but not for tastings. That turned out to be my least favorite so maybe we were lucky they were not open for tastings. Todd and I enjoyed our tastings and can recommend a stop at Riverwood Winery. Use the link below. We headed home, then Todd and I were off to golf in the Men’s Leage at Copperhill Golf Course. We scored a respectable 34, which was 5 over par. The girls joined us after golf at Prestyn’s where we had dinner and drinks. We went home and rested up for a very busy next day.

The next day we went to Weston for lunch and shopping. We had lunch at the Tin Kitchen, one of our favorites. It was delicious and earned a link that you can find in the usual place. One of the stores on the main street in downtown had an amazing collection of taxidermy. See for yourself.

After seeing all of the stuffed dead animals, we went off to a tour at the Holladay Distillery. The Holladay Distillery is just outside of Weston. It was founded in 1856 and is the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi River that remains at its original site. In 2016, they started making bourbon whiskey again, using the original recipe from 160 years ago. Now why is Missouri a great place to make whiskey? Because of the abundance of limestone springs in the area. That makes Weston, Missouri, an ideal location for bourbon production. And an ideal location to tour a bourbon whiskey distillery. Here is our tour guide, Morgan.

She did an outstanding job on our tour, and we actually learned some things even though we have been on numerous bourbon whiskey tours. Here are some pictures from our tour.

Here is the original spring visited by the Lewis and Clarke Expedition in 1804.

And here is the original Bonded Ancient Cave.

And here is the best part of the tour, the whiskey tasting. Delicious. If you want an excellent whiskey distillery tour, check out the link below.

We hustled back to our house and freshened up for dinner and a concert. We went to dinner at Room 108 with the Culvers (the Broyles were golfing). The meal was delicious and had a unique twist. They had free bahn mi tacos. I really like free and I like bahn mi so I had to try them.

They were pretty darn good, and I would even pay for them next time if I had to. Of course they earned a link that is below. Our next stop was the Missouri Theater to see a Neil Diamond tribute band. It was Matt Vee and the Killer Vees Celebrate the Music of Neil Diamond, I Am…..He Said.

The band has Matt Vee, who performs as Neil Diamond. The band includes his cousins Jeff and Tommy Vee, both local music scene veterans and sons of the legendary Bobby Vee. Up until seeing this band, the Chicago cover band Brass Transit was hands down the best tribute band I have ever seen. However, this band had great energy, great stories about Neil Diamond and Bobby Vee, and put on an enjoyable show. I didn’t realize Neil wrote “I’m a believer” and had it recorded at the same time as the Monkeys. I always knew the Monkey’s version, then the Smashmouth version, which were both hits.

I left feeling this was the second-best tribute band I have ever seen. Then I kept singing Neil Diamond songs for the next two weeks. I would definitely see them again. If you want to see them, you can use the link below. After the show, we had a drink at Jake’s Steakhouse and Bar before heading home. The next day Todd and Edie headed back to California, ending a great visit.

Stay tuned for the next post that will include Mother’s Day Midwest style, a pinball tournament, a golf tournament and league, another menu tasting at the Den, Ben and Hanna’s wedding, and our triumphant return to California. Try to “stay a believer” until then!

LINKS
Joe’s Kansas City BBQ

Mound City Golf Course

Matt Vee and the Killer Vees

2022 Trip 4 – Six + Weeks In St. Joseph, Missouri – Part 1

This was our first extended trip to our house in St. Joseph, Missouri. Not only did we drive there, we took our mentally unstable dog, Thea, who has never been in a car or truck for more than an hour, and who does not like cold weather. What could possibly go wrong?

Days 1 & 2 – The drive to St. Joseph

Our original plan was to take 3 days to drive to St. Joe. That being said, we also planned to drive as far as we could the first day in the hopes of possibly making it a two day drive. We also had a plan that at each stop, one of us would deal with the beast so the other could use the restroom, or get a snack, etc. The plan worked flawlessly and we were able to make it all the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico. And the beast did fine on the first day of the drive. Take a look for yourself.

We spent the night at a pet friendly Holiday Inn Express and got a room with two queen beds. Thea spent the night on the other bed and was happy as heck. I thought I had a picture of it, but could not find it on my phone.

By driving all day on the second day we were able to get to our place right around midnight. We were tired, but happy that all three of us made it there with very little drama.

Week 1

We spent our first full day recovering from the drive and getting Thea acquainted with her new digs. On the second day, we had some freezing rain that turned into snow. To our surprise, the dog really didn’t mind the cold or snow.

On our first Sunday in town, we went out with the Culvers to a local chili cookoff. The chili was good, but Scott and I have decided to enter next year. We feel we can be very competitive.

With my birthday approaching, Corrianne flew in to stay with us. During her stay, we did a father/daughter trip to the Lewis and Clarke State Park. It is an area where in 1804 the Lewis and Clarke party camped for several days near the start of their epic journey across the uncharted west. We enjoyed a short hike to see Lewis and Clarke Lake and the interpretive area.

Our hike built up an appetite, so we headed off to Boulevard Brewing Company near downtown Kansas City. I had a delicious Ruben on marble rye, and the beer was very good.

Later in the week it snowed overnight, so we put the dog’s sweater and jacket on and checked out the snow in our backyard. The green stuff is fake grass.

So what does a California dog do when it’s snowy outside? Sit in front of the fireplace, of course.

In all fairness, we have an all electric fireplace with a fake flame, but it does blow warm air. And the dog loved it.

On the Saturday before my birthday, we went on a “birthday” pub crawl. It was Cindy, Corrianne and I, Scott and Heather, and Scott’s cousin John and his wife Dana. Since Scott and Heather’s daughter is under 21, she served as our driver. Here I am getting ready for the fun. I’m wearing a bright colored tie that say it’s my birthday.

Our first stop was for some lunch at Il Lazzarone. As usual, it was delicious. From there, we walked in the very cool weather to our first stop, River Bluff Brewing.

After a few micro beers, we were off to the Angry Swede Brewery.

The beer was very good here as well and we all had a good time. Our last stop was at the Tiger’s Den, a library/bar, for some mixed drinks.

Now we have all been around a friend who has had too much to drink and does some crazy stuff, like lick someone’s head like this.

This would be weird if that was one of our friends. It was even weirder because this was a stranger who walked up to me and did this because of my birthday tie. Then she and her friends hung out with us and turned out to be pretty nice people. I guess you just never know. Here is Corrianne’s reaction to all the shenanigans.

We finished the night by walking to Hazel’s for coffee and chai tea. After our warm beverages, Lauren picked us up and got everyone home safely. A great time was had by all.

Week 2

On my actual birthday, we set up a taco bar at our house and invited the Culvers and Scott’s parents, Nancy and Denby. The food was delicious. Here is a card, balloon, and gift from my party.

In the middle of the week, we had to drop Corrianne off at the airport. We went to Joe’s BBQ near downtown Kansas City for some BBQ. We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes, but it was worth it. Corrianne and I got the spicy pulled pork sandwiches and they were outstanding!

Later in the week we went to a Journey and Toto concert with the Culvers.

Toto opened the show and they were outstanding.

The Journey concert was interesting. It seemed more like the Neil Schon show with his backing band that sounded a lot like Journey. Neil Schon is the original guitar player and he had a solo in each song and it seemed like each song was tweaked so it featured much more guitar. The concert was still good, but Neil needs to take a chill pill and play a little less.

Week 3

We started week 3 by hanging our “Bailey” sign Corrianne had purchased for us. Here it is hanging on our front porch.

Both Cindy and I were a little under the weather during week three. Not down and out, just stuffy and off a bit. That being said, I received an email our nightstands were in and ready for pick up in Kansas City. They were not supposed to come in until June, so we were excited and headed right out to get them. Here is what they look like in our bedroom.

By Thursday, we were feeling well enough to go to Leavenworth, Kansas with the Culvers. We had lunch at Homer’s Drive In, which was founded in 1931.

From there we visited Twisted Vines Winery in the old downtown Leavenworth area.

They had an interesting selection of wines, such as the Hellfire, made with red grapes and jalapeno, and the Gladiator, a tomato and jalapeno wines, ala Bloody Mary.

I tried both of those wines and while novel, they just didn’t taste that good. In reality, none of the wines were that good. However, the woman doing our tasting was so energetic and just fun in general, we still had a good time. And we came to the realization we are wine snobs. We are lucky to live and spend time in the home to some of the best wines in the world. Unfortunately, that place is Commiefornia, I mean California. After many a wine tasting in either Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, Temecula, or Napa, we have become snobs and all other wines pale in comparison. But we are not quitters. We will continue to taste wine wherever it is made.

The next day, Scott, Heather and I did some sightseeing while Cindy stayed home and rested up. Our first stop was Lathrop, Missouri, Scott’s childhood home city. It is a very small town of just over 2,000 people.

Our next stop was in Kearney, Missouri, to see the Jesse James Farm and Museum, the birthplace and family home of the famous outlaw Jesse James.

Here are some pictures from the museum.

Here are some pictures of the outside and inside of the actual farm house.

Jesse James was originally buried at the farm until his and his wife’s deaths. Then their bodies were moved to the Mount Olivet Cemetery, also in Kearney.

For many years, and continuing to this day, they sell rocks that have been on Jesse James gravesite. That was a little too creepy for me so I left without any rocks.

Our final stop of the day was at the world famous Arthur Bryant BBQ, near downtown Kansas City.

As you can see it was not crowded. We were the only ones there.

Even though we were the only ones there, the staff yelled at is and were rude. I can see when it is total chaos in the store it would be necessary, to yell, but not in this case. And there is never a reason to be rude. Anyway, here is the BBQ I ordered. It was pulled pork with fries and white bread. It was pretty good, but there are many places in and around Kansas City that are better, so I will not be back. I was not impressed.

Week three ended with us having a delicious steak dinner at the Culver’s house.

Stay tuned for the next entry which will cover the rest of our St. Joseph stay. Spoiler alert, there will be more booze tasting and some nasty weather!