The Blitz East, Part 2: It's the wonder of nature, baby!

The plains of the Midwest are hardly a destination for many travelers, but during our stay in central Kansas, we found proof to the contrary. We had even been looking forward to visiting Wichita for a couple of years now, thanks to other RVers who alerted us to a pretty awesome wildlife park just outside the city. You know us: We love a good zoo. Good being the operative word. So when we heard of the unique animal experience that is Tanganyika Wildlife Park, we had to put it on our list.

Tanganyika is a family-owned animal sanctuary that prides itself on not being your typical zoo. Instead of walking around, looking at animals in cages, this wildlife park offers several encounters where you can interact with the animals by feeding them, petting them, playing with them, and participating in training demonstrations. Visitors can choose from three ticket levels. All have some encounters, but the higher the level, the more encounters you get. The price can get pretty expensive, but that's to ensure that the sanctuary can continue running in a way that is healthy for the animals and enjoyable for the guests. Tanganyika is a non-profit organization that has never accepted federal funding. They make sure to do things their own way, and that involves taking the best care of the animals as possible. We opted for the middle price package, which allowed unlimited feedings of the various animals that were available for encounters that day. The higher price package also allows two up-close-and-personal demonstrations, but those tickets were sold out the day we went. We instead were able to add on a penguin feeding, which was an additional encounter not included in our original ticket price. There is something really amazing about RV life, in that we can wake up one morning on a lake in Kansas, knowing that we'll be feeding penguins later that day. Just as amazing as it is random.

Though not a big zoo, they still house a large variety of animals, some we've never seen at a zoo before. The quality of life was apparent right from the moment we entered. The zoo was well-staffed with passionate and knowledgeable handlers. The encounters are delicately executed; there are specific times where visitors can interact with the animals, but then the animals get a break. There is also a rule where an animal can always choose whether or not to interact. We based our visit around the different encounter times so we could make sure we visited all the animals we wanted. Our penguin feeding was at a scheduled time, so we worked our plans around that, starting with the nearby kangaroos. We caught them at the tail end of their encounter window, so they had just eaten and were now resting and digesting. We were told to only pet the ones that were lying down, but since most were, we had a very chill visit with them. Also, it's not lost on us that we just had the opportunity to pet kangaroos. That's really awesome!

Next up were the penguins - African penguins, to be exact. We were the only two people at that feeding, which gave us ample opportunity to speak with the handlers and spend time with the penguins as they had their lunch. We fed them fish and even got to pet one of them.

Some other encounters we had were with lorikeets, ring-tailed lemurs, rabbits, tortoises, and giraffes. Each was unique in its own way. We were given feed for the lorikeets, and they will fly and land on you as soon as you show them you have food. This was the most hectic encounter, but it was so fun! We laughed the whole time. The birds are also incredibly beautiful. The lemurs were our favorites. Visitors aren't allowed to pet them, but we got a photo opportunity with them as they sat on our laps and took Craisins from our open palms. The rabbits and tortoises were exactly what one might experience at a petting zoo. We got pieces of lettuce for them and fed them in their pens. Lastly, we had a feeding with the giraffes. This was our third opportunity to feed giraffes in all our travels over the years, and it never ceases to amaze us seeing these majestic creatures - and their long tongues - up close.

In addition to the encounters, we were able to see tons of other animals, including rhinos, hippos, different types of monkeys, birds, goats, alpacas (including one that was just born that morning!), a snow leopard, and too many other animals to remember. This part of the zoo was more like what's standard: Walking around and looking. Still, it's obvious that people come for the interactions, and rightly so. They're not only memorable, but we learned more during these encounters than we had at any other zoo. Personal attention is granted to each and every visitor. This might mean waiting in line during the busier times, but once you enter the animals' habitats, your encounter is catered to you. You can ask questions, hear stories, and bond with the animals. It's very special.

If you're a fan of zoos and are cool with paying some extra money for a VIP experience, Tanganyika is one of the best. It's great for all ages, and the animals seem to enjoy it, too.

The next day, we geared up for our other sought-after excursion while we were in the area. This one, however, would take us south, across the border and into Oklahoma. Everything felt so different that day. We went from a sunny day petting cute animals to an eerie, stormy day, driving the rural roads through Oklahoma. Why? Turns out it's fairly common, actually. People from all over the world visit this little building in the middle of nowhere. Just look at all the pins!

Let's rewind for a minute. Several years ago, I was reliving my childhood by watching one of my favorite movies, Twister. Always trying to learn, I took to the internet to Google the regions the characters storm-chased. I wanted to see how far they went and where they saw each tornado. Granted, some places are fictional, but one place is not: Wakita, OK. Wakita played an important role in the movie. It was the town where main character Jo's aunt Meg lived. The gang stops by for some sustenance during their epic tornado chase, and later, they return to save Meg after a tornado blew through the town.

During my sleuthing on Google Maps, I zoomed in on Wakita, and continuing my pattern of finding really cool things on Google Maps, I saw it: The Twister Movie Museum. At first I thought, oh please, this is probably some junky, cash-grabbing store full of replicas. But then I read about the museum and discovered that it actually holds tons of artifacts from the actual set of the movie, including one of the Dorothy devices, which is the vessel for the sensors that are released into the tornado to radio back information to the scientists.

That was it. I needed to go to Oklahoma, but I had no idea what life circumstances would ever align for me to end up there. It's literally near nothing. Then, RV life happened.

We purposely camped equidistant to Wichita and Wakita, so we could check off our two bucket list adventures. Driving down to Wakita felt like we were immersing ourselves in the lives of the storm chasers. The dark clouds set the mood. The rain was intense and our truck was getting muddy. We were really in the thick of it.

Wakita has a population of less than 400 residents, most of whom have lived there forever and are now elderly. Downtown, many of the stores were shut down or just closed for the day. They likely have hours that are not scheduled, but more "open when necessary." We saw the water tower, made famous by the movie. Then, on the corner of Main Street, next to the Post Office, was the ode to Twister.

We expected to see some cool props and photos, but our experience was so much more than that. In the non-summer months, the museum only opens its doors for scheduled tours, so we had called and booked ours ahead of time. The lady that showed up to guide our tour was Linda, and her story was already incredibly intriguing. She had lived in Wakita most of her life, including when Twister was being filmed. She told stories of the town's residents all tailgating every day to watch the film crew. They got to have food with the actors. Linda was even an extra in one of the scenes. The best part about the museum, though, is that its location is the actual old command center for the movie.

We're totally not the types to get all gaga over Hollywood stuff. Anthony and I haven't even been to a movie theater together since we first met! But, hearing the stories of the cast and how they bonded with the Wakita residents was really heartwarming. Bill Paxton, the other star in the film, even kept in touch with members of the town, sending various items to the museum, until he passed away in 2017. Linda said that, because Wakita doesn't have a movie theater, no one really knew any of the actors except for Helen Hunt (Jo), but then they met Bill and formed an instant camaraderie, much due to Bill's upbringing in Texas, and therefore, a deep sense of respect and his feeling right at home in the countryside.

We stayed talking to Linda for over an hour, not just about the movie, but about real storm chasing and all the tornadoes they get in this part of Oklahoma. Linda told us the various measures that the town takes to keep everybody safe, especially since the town's population is aging. The tornado warning system is tested every day at noon, but it's not the sirens that would typically go off in an emergency. Instead, it's the sound of chimes, much more peaceful but still enough to ensure that the electric signals are all intact. We were still at the museum at noon, so we got to go outside and hear the chimes. Side note: Even though we didn't get to hear the actual sirens in Wakita, we did hear them at our campground the day prior. The town of Wellington tests their sirens every week, and we happened to be there.

We bid farewell to Linda, and she invited us back in a few years for the Twister movie 30th anniversary celebration. The museum always does something cool for the big anniversaries. She said that, when they first formed the museum, they expected people to visit for maybe two years. Now here they are, 27 years later, and the museum is a staple of the town. What's better is, a Twister reboot is currently in production, and even though they're not due to film in Wakita, Linda hopes the movie will give a boost to museum visitation. We hope it does, too. This little place needs to stay in existence. They don't even charge admission for the tours! It's by donation only. Or, you can support the museum by purchasing some Twister-related goodies on their website, which we highly suggest you do if you're a fan of the movie. We'd definitely consider going back for an anniversary celebration, or even to storm chase someday.

We got back in our truck, noting how rugged it looked from our drive on the backroads to Oklahoma. This time, we made sure to hit pavement instead of dirt roads. The rain was getting worse and we didn't want to risk getting stuck in a rut.

Well, that was the plan...until it wasn't. Poor Clyde was about to get a lot more muddy, and we were in for a day would have us rethinking our entire Blitz East.

To be continued.