Waco, Texas
March 16 - 17, 2024
I packed an overnight bag and loaded the car for a road trip from Fort Worth to Waco. The drive was long, but I passed the time jamming out to my favorite 90’s hits on the radio. Even though I can’t quite drive on my own, I did get a chance to steer the wheel for a bit. Driving looks so easy, but I must admit I did find it a little challenging. It might be a good idea if I leave it to my chauffeurs from now on.
We picked up Stila and then continued on our way to meet Owlivia at the zoo!
Our first stop at the zoo was to take a selfie with the sign out front. The zoo has 1,700 animals and covers 52 acres! I have a lot of friends, but I don’t think I have 1,700!!
Our first visit was to the Brazos River Country exhibit featuring a 50,000-US-gallon saltwater reef aquarium and a large swampland habitat. There we met Frank the Electric Blue Phantom Designer Clownfish (what a name!) He wasn’t very talkative, but he did tell us to go visit his friends, Ollie and Olive, the Giant Tortoises in the South America exhibit.
There was also an impressive Black Vulture, but we didn’t stick around too long with him. We’re just little things and we were worried he’d think we were an afternoon snack.
Ollie and Olive were super nice, but they were a little too laid back for our taste. They really didn’t do much other than sit around and stare blankly into space . . . then again, that kind of sounds like what I do on my days off. So maybe they weren’t so different from me after all!
The African Savanna was our next stop through the zoo, and I have to say IT. WAS. AMAZING. There was a flock of flamingos that were really pretty. I have no idea how they balance on one foot for so long. I tried to see how long I could, but I only got to 55 Mississippi before I lost my balance.
The elephant and white rhino were being shy so we didn’t get a very good look at them. They were HUGE! They did yell across to us to make sure we stopped by the gift shop on our way out though.
We spent a while visiting the giraffes. Stila talked with them, but I don’t speak giraffe, so I’m not really sure what they said. Stila seemed pretty happy, so that made me happy. Do you know why giraffes have such long necks? It’s because their feet smell. :)
Our last stop was the Asian Forest and you’ll never believe who was there . . . My long-lost cousin Maharani was there! She is a Sumatran tiger and was born on May 24, 2006. She’s one of the oldest female Sumatran tigers in the entire United States. We chatted for a bit and she caught me up on girl gossip. I was so happy I got to see her and I can’t wait to go back again!
We were pretty tired after walking around the entire zoo, so we caught a ride in a pocket and headed to the hotel. We swam in the pool for a bit, then ate while we talked about our favorite parts of the zoo. We didn’t stay up too late though, because we wanted to do some shopping the next day before heading home.
Sunday morning we checked out Skellington Curiosities for an event they were having. We did a little bit of shopping there, then went to check out a couple other shops before heading out. We made a little detour so we could stop at Slovacek’s for some BBQ and kolaches for the trip back home. Their Nutella kolache is my favorite . . . or the cream cheese one . . . or the peach one . . . ok, I like them all!
I said goodbye to Owlivia and Stila and headed home. Afterall, I had to start planning for my next trip!
This photo is a hint of where I’m jetting off to next. Any guesses?
See ya next trip!!
