Fun Day 650 Ft Below

August 31, 2015 by Debra 4 Comments

Fun day 650 feet below; Strataca– Hutchison, KS.

Hi, Saturday I had a date with my hubby! It was a pleasant surprise when Kevin agreed to take a road trip to Hutchison, KS. We left at 9 am and returned at 9 pm. A fun filled day 650 ft below. Off we went to Hutchison KS to see the salt mine – Strataca. We left our home just north of Lawrence and drove south of Topeka down to Hutchinson. Our route is marked below. The drive home we headed north to Junction City where Kevin surprised me with a wonderful dinner at Munson’s Prime.

Strataca

Mike Rowe- Dirty Jobs did an episode on the mining side of the salt mine. The video recording of the episode plays in the lobby of the Strataca. The salt mine functions in three capacities: mining for salt- road salt for winter conditions; storage of film, digital media and documents; and the museum.

The total time we were 650 ft below was approx. 3 hours. There was a self tour which included a 12 minute train ride. And we were able to take the Dark Ride! While on this ride the conductor for a brief moment shut the lights out. Boy that was dark! It was interesting to know that there were no bugs in the mine. Breathing air is pumped down the shaft. Without electricity, there would be enough air to breath for about two weeks the tour guide mentioned. After our tour was complete we drove north to Hutchinson, KS where Kevin surprised me with a delicious steak dinner! He read of this family operated restaurant in the Grass & Grain paper.

Munson’s Prime

Munson’s Prime was delicious! Each dining guest selects their own steak from the “market”. The price depends on the one selected. The side dishes are served family style with unlimited refills. Dessert of home made ice cream included! This is a family business that extends beyond the restuarant industry. Click here to read all about the Munson’s Prime.

There are lots of images in the gallery from our outing. Simply click the link below to check them out!

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Best Wishes,

Bicycle Rack

August 26, 2015 by Debra 2 Comments

Date with Grand Daughter!

July 30, 2015 by Debra 3 Comments

fun zoo date — Date with grand daughter!

Hi, what a delight it was spending the day with my grand daughter. Last Saturday began at 6:30 am. That’s early for a weekend day for me! Jumped out of bed, took my shower, got dressed and off to see Brie I went. Mind, I never put on my makeup.

The collage above is a short story of our morning. Of course we needed a new selfie and I just loved how Brie was sitting with her cat, Boo at the door. My daughter has a membership with the local zoo. That was our adventure for the day.

After entering the zoo, there is this board scene with cut outs to stick your head through. I tried getting Brie to do this- no way. Couldn’t convince her. I’m not bashful here. There was a young family approaching the wall. The mother was arranging to take a picture of her two children and husband. I naturally offered to take the picture of all four of them. She was tickled and agreed to let me do so. Score!

Briella was intrigued. Once the family left, three collage aged girls stopped by and asked if I would take their picture. Certainly. Winner. Briella on her own went to the backside and stuck her head through. One of the collage girls offered to take our picture. I was happy! We were able to get two pictures of us- one was nice faces and the second was silly faces.

This zoo is large enough to feature elephants, hippos, bears, tropical birds and more- yet not so large to walk through all the exhibits. Just the right size for this grandma and grand daughter! We had a wonderful day together.

Wouldn’t you know- as I mentioned earlier, I walked out of the house with no make-up on. While at the zoo, I ran into several people I knew. Go figure. Away from the hometown and every time I turned around I was greeted by a neighbor or friend! Has something similar ever happened to you?

Best Wishes,