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

Bernhardt Winery

The Sentinel

Hotel St. George

Marfa