Kansas Underground Salt Museum: Strataca

In July, on the last day of my brother and his family's visit, his family, along with the kids and I, went to Hutchinson, KS, to go to the Underground Salt Museum, which is now called Strataca.  This was one of the best field trips we have ever been on!  The salt mines are still actively mined by the Hutchinson Salt Company, but the original salt discovery site is open for touring.  There is also a company called Underground Vaults and Storage, which stores millions of documents and items from all over the world, including Hollywood movies.  The dry air and steady temperature makes it a great place to store things. It's funny, because when I was doing rotations at the hospital for medical school and residency, I would occasionally hear, when requesting an old record, "That one's probably in the salt mines."  I never thought that, yes, they literally would have to get it from the salt mines!

Everyone had to wear a hard hat.

Listening to instructions while waiting to ride on The Shaft, a 6-ton hoist, to take us 650 feet below the surface of the earth!

After riding down (in the dark!), we emerged into the Permian Room.

This was a long passageway which contained many interesting exhibits.

The kids enjoyed the hands-on exhibits.

You've got to love signs that say "Please Touch!"

It was hard to believe we were down so far underground.

Joseph stuck his hand in one of the dynamite holes.

The kids and their cousins loved exploring.

Further on, we came to the Mining Gallery, which had exhibits and videos explaining what it was(and is) like to be a miner. 

There were some interesting things down there!

"What goes into the mine, stays in the mine."

We then came to exhibits about the storage area of the mine.

What the underground storage system looks like.

The kids liked seeing the Superman suit.

And Batman!

At that point, we got our turn on the Salt Mine Express, which took us through part of the mine active in the 40s and 50s.

My seatmate.

Kids loved the train ride.

Back at the storage area, we saw this old newspaper...

...preserved from when Abraham Lincoln was killed.

Next came The Dark Ride, which was a tram tour of another area.

Don't let the kids near that train car!

The train on its tour, as seen from the tram.

Who knew rock salt could come in different colors?

At one spot we all got off the tram to collect a little souvenir bag of rock salt.

Later we had to check out the bathrooms 650 feet underground!

Photo-op spot.

Dominic, the miner.

We had a great time on our underground tour of the salt mines, which is self-guided, except for the train and tram tours.  The kids all did well during our 3+ hours down there!  One thing to note if you decide you want to go: children must be at least 4 years old.

Field Trip to Great Plains Nature Center

In early July, I took the kids to the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita for a summer class.  The four big kids got to make their own butterfly nets and learn about butterflies and insects.  Then the class all went outside and tried to catch some insects in their nets and identify them with the help of the nature center staff.  During the class, Anthony and I went on a hike on some of the nature trails. 

Here's the map, which way should we go?

We saw some ducks.

An egret.

Anthony on the boardwalk.

Wildflowers, complete with butterfly.

A shady trail by the creek.

Anthony had a great time hanging out with Mommy.

Turtles.

A line of ducks.

A row of turtles sunning themselves on a log.

After our hike, we went inside to check on the big kids.  They were busy finishing their nets and listening to the staff.

Joseph and Catherine.

Learning about butterflies.

The big kids were doing just fine, so Anthony and I went to check out the indoor exhibit.

It is not a large exhibit, but it is really nice.

Look out for the coyote!

I got seven different pocket guides pertaining to Kansas wildlife and vegetation.  They were free!  I left a donation, however.  They are great little guides and the kids have been putting them to good use since that day in July.

One of the pocket guides.

The kids, meanwhile, had gone outside to hunt for butterflies and other insects.  Anthony and I waited at the gazebo for them to come back.

Joseph leading the pack.

Catherine, with Dominic and Anne behind.

The twins looked for more treasures to catch.

The class was over, but the kids got to keep the nets they made.  It was a great experience!

Father Kapaun Day

On the first Sunday in June, we went on a pilgrimage to St. John Nepomucene Church in Pilsen, KS.  Pilsen is the hometown of Fr. Emil Kapaun, a priest who was an Army Chaplain in World War II and the Korean War.  He was captured during the Korean War because he would not leave the wounded, and he and his fellow soldiers were taken to a Chinese prison camp, where they lived in horrid conditions.  Fr. Kapaun kept up the morale of his fellow soldiers, helping them in countless ways both physical and spiritual.  The Chinese soldiers feared and hated him, and when Fr. Kapaun finally became sick, they took him away and left him to die.  He has been declared a Servant of God, and his cause for Beatification is underway at this time.  He has just this year finally received a Congressional Medal of Honor.  Every year his hometown parish hosts Fr. Kapaun Day, celebrating his life and death, and always working to promote his path to Sainthood.  It was really crowded in the church  Thank goodness, we arrived 30 minutes early.

A very pretty, old-fashioned church.  We enjoyed that!

After Mass, a few people spoke, among them Ray Kapaun, Fr. Kapaun's nephew.  He presented the Medal of Honor to the parish.  Afterwards, we went up to see it.

Our family with the Medal of Honor.

Off to the side in the back of the church.

We then went down to the church basement for a ham dinner.  The kids actually ate quite a bit!  There were a lot of Fr. Kapaun pictures all around the room, which were interesting to look at while we were waiting in line. 

The statue below is of Fr. Kapaun assisting a wounded soldier on the march to the prison camp.  He had saved this soldier's life by stopping an enemy soldier from executing him because he couldn't walk.

A nice family photo.

Checking out the statue up close.

The kids in the grotto nearby.

Boys were getting silly.

A neat metal silhouette out by the road.

Anthony exploring.

St. John Nepomucene Church.