Our Date Afternoon....

WARNING! There may be quite a few photos ahead. I guess since I haven't stuck to my word much and kept up better on blogging (like I said I'd do in an earlier post), you'll get to see photos!

This past Saturday, Marc and I had a date afternoon. Luke spent the afternoon playing with his friend Ava (and napping), and so, we went out for the afternoon.

We had been wanting to go to the "Kansas Salt Museum" in Hutchinson, KS (a mere 30 minutes away) for quite some time. Children under 4 years of age aren't allowed in there, and so, this was the perfect time -- not that we really wanted to take Luke to this place anyways.

**And, I know, I know what some of you might be thinking. "Only Marc and Sarah would go on a 'date' to the Salt Museum." Oh -- we know some of you would do or even have done the same thing. And actually, isn't it time to ourselves together what's important here?

First, though, we had to eat. Quite a few people have told us about "Bogey's" -- the little burger joint, or greasy spoon, in Hutchinson. So, we went there to eat.





"Bogey's" is known for this....



Yep, 101 shake flavors. You name it, they probably have it as a shake. I should've taken a photo of the listing of flavors inside, but I didn't. They have a fairly large menu. I think I was spending all of my time figuring out what I wanted.

I ultimately ended up with a cheeseburger, a small order of curly fries, and a Hot Fudge/Peanut Butter shake.

This next part of our date will not surprise those of you who know Marc.

They had something on the menu called the "Mile High" Burger. Here's exactly how the conversation went when Marc was ordering his meal.

Marc: What is the "Mile High" Burger?

Cashier (teenage girl): It has four patties.

Marc: SCORE! That's exactly what I'll have -- along with a large order of curly fries and a large Pepsi!

Does that sound like Marc or what? Yes, he had a quadruple burger (along with fries and a Pepsi).

Here's the comparison between my little single cheeseburger and Marc's quadruple cheeseburger.



Here's Marc eating the big burger.





And, here's what the burger looks like 1/2 eaten -- or as Marc calls it, "Greasy Goodness."



So, if you ask Marc about our date, he'll probably go on and on about "Bogey's." I've heard him already tell several guys about it. Guys and food -- I'll never fully understand.

But, overall, we would both really recommend "Bogey's." All of that food was only $14 -- not too bad, considering.

Also, somebody, just yesterday, told me that there's a "Bogey's" in Topeka, KS. I haven't done my research to find out if it's true, but that's what I heard.

After eating, we headed over to the Salt Museum....which we found out was the only museum of its kind in the western hemisphere. For those of you reading not from around here, Hutchinson, KS, sits on A LOT of salt. Morton Salt and Diamond Crystal Salt comes from there.

In this particular salt mine (where the museum is), the salt is used for icing roads in the winter. The City of Chicago and the State of Iowa are its biggest customers. INTERESTING!





Fortunately, I had reserved our tickets the day before. They had a "Sold Out" day that day.

When our "1:40" tour time was called, we headed in for the "Instructional DVD." We then got our hardhats -- yep, they're required down there.





You might notice straps around us. Besides hardhats, we also had to have "Breathers" on us. They're devices that convert Carbon Monoxide to Carbon Dioxide -- should there be a fire down in the salt mine. They said they haven't had to use them for over 50 years, fortunately.

Then, we all crowded into an elevator to take us down 650 feet into the earth. Here's where I would give a warning -- if you're clausterphobic, this elevator ride (which only lasts about 1 1/2 minutes) could be a bit of a problem. Quite a few people are squeezed into the elevator, and the ride down is PITCH BLACK! Things like this don't bother either Marc or myself, so no issue here. Yes, both of our ears did pop going down the elevator.



After exiting the elevator, everybody climbs onto a tram for the guided tour.



The tram tour lasts approximately one hour. The guide drives you through quite a few of the mined area. **In this particular mine, 67 miles have been mined out. So, it's quite extensive. It's also quite dark where there aren't any lights. You most DEFINITELY wouldn't want to be by yourself and lost.

At one point during the tour, you can get off of the tram for a few minutes and "mine salt." In other words, you can pick out your own salt crystal, and for a small donation, you can take it home. Marc and I just watched, at this point. We figured we didn't need a piece of salt to sit around here at home and merely collect dust.





At the end of the tram tour, there is a small museum, which shows some of the tools used to mine salt as well as some DVDs that talk about how salt is mined. I really didn't get any photos here.

Then, there was a part of the museum about the "Underground Vaults and Storage." Yes, many important things are stored in these salt mines. They won't burn down there. Tornadoes can't get them down there. Kansas has a very low risk of a major earthquake. So, quite a few old Hollywood movies (in their original form) are stored down there. Old movie artifacts are stored down there. Many important federal government documents are stored down there. Our local hospital here in the town we live in has medical records down there. I could go on and on and on....

For some reason, I found that to be very interesting. Here's a photo of Marc and me at that spot.



Finally, there's a gift shop. We didn't buy anything, but we did look around. I found this t-shirt.



It reminded me of some very important scripture -- Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount."

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thron out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13

Jesus calls us "Salt of the earth." Salt preserves and adds flavor.

Had that t-shirt had that verse on it, I would've definitely bought it.

Overall, the Salt Museum is something we'd both recommend at least once. It does cost $14.35/person. Marc and I both felt that was a little much for what you get. But, we're also both sure they have to charge that to maintain the museum.

We do think it's neat because so many, not from Kansas, think Kansas has NOTHING to offer. Those of us who live here know different :) Kansas does have some beauty, and Kansas does have this salt museum -- which again, is the only thing of its kind in the western hemisphere :)