A Safe Haven for Speed Demons

Are you into racing? Go-Karts? My husband sure is. At the Outpost there are water bumper cars, go-karts, and activities for the little ones. The Outpost can be found just off Interstate 70 at Exit 244 near Salina, Kansas. After a few hours traveling across Kansas this is a welcome respite to the open road. Of course, if you live in the area it's a great place to spend a good part of a day.

My husband and I took our visiting granddaughter to the Outpost to drive go-karts. My husband, being a kid at heart, had the best time racing a 15-year-old -- who gave him very stiff competition. Matter of fact, she beat the pants off of him.

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We had quite a few choices of places to eat in Salina, but after such a busy day none of us were ready for a heavy meal or anything time consuming. So we opted for Schlotzsky's Deli. Though you may use the drive thru, we decided to eat inside. The restaurant was clean with a pleasant cafe setting. My husband selected a deli beef sandwich, my granddaughter a salad (and a slice of cheesecake -- go figure), and I went for an individual sized vegetarian pizza. The serving sizes were quite adequate, being a little on the generous side. We were all happy with our selections and found the food quite tasty.

Our dining experience at Panda's Restaurant was pretty good. We were seated immediately and our drinks were promptly brought out. This is strictly a buffet restaurant. The choices were somewhat limited as there was only one buffet serving bar, but the food was hot and tasty. The price range was from $4.50 to $5.50, so one really can't complain about the limited selection of food items. There were the usual traditional offerings of Chinese food available.

We've always found our dining experience at Applebee's to be excellent. On occasion there has been a wait to be seated, but this has usually been less than 10 minutes. The food is a little slow in arriving at the table, but when it does it is hot and delicious. The serving people are very congenial and attentive to your needs.

We had such a number of choices of where to eat in Salina. Our first thought was the restaurant next to the Outpost, however none of us wanted to have a full, sit-down meal. We did get a kick out of the Tinman standing outside, with his welcome to Kansas-style hello though.

Coyote Canyon on Ninth Street, a wonderful steak buffet that we frequently enjoy, was our next thought. Always liking to get our money's worth at a buffet, it was decided that none of us were hungry enough to eat very much, so Coyote Canyon was out.

Salina also offers the standard fast food restaurants, but even though we were in the mood for sort of fast food, we were not in the mood for the standard fast food fair.

Anyway, we ended up at Schlotzsky's Deli. The perfect solution for the three of us. (See dining entry for description of Schlotzsky's.)

Being the official camera operator, I sat out while my husband and granddaughter rode the go-karts. The two of them had the time of their lives! They were able to have the track to themselves, which added to the spirit of competition between the two of them.

Alongside the go-kart track was a soothing pool of clear water -- soothing, that is, until the water bumper cars were occupied. Then it was summertime water fun!

Around the pool were three small activities for the little ones.

The grounds of Outpost were well-kept and clean. The entire design of the area was enticing and eye-catching from the Interstate. There were a couple of gazebos for picnicing and, if inside dining is desired, a full-service restaurant was handily located beside the fun center.