In late January I had something rare happen to me.I actually had a day off and no plans.Now I probably should have stayed at home and cleaned up, or caught up on sleep, or perhaps worked on replacing my day job that I despise, however I couldnt let the opportunity to play with my new camera and see some new sites pass by.We decided to go somewhere.
A few days in advance Arilem and I sat down and brainstormed some ideas of where to go.It sounded like a good time to get out of the province for a day.We considered Brandon and Winnipeg; however I was more interested in going west instead.We contacted Captain Canada to see if he had any plans as he had given us a couple invites in the past.As luck would have it he wasnt up to much that weekend so we had our destination decided.
We left Regina at about 2PM on Saturday and after 1600km we made it home just before midnight on Sunday.We hit up a few great locations throughout southern Alberta.We ended up about 100KM out of Calgary at one point which is a fair distance to travel on what was pretty much a day trip.
The highlights include a late night visit to a really old industrial location with some beautiful brick arch work.We also stopped by an abandoned water park which unfortunately had just been cleaned up and secured again so it wasnt as fun as it could be, but it was still interesting and it was a nice night to be outside.Other highlights include an abandoned CP Rail work train sitting on a siding in the middle of nowhere and a very interesting World War 2 British Flight School.All things considered the trip was very rewarding and tiring.I hope to have another update on here soon.
Well I guess I should take a few minutes to attempt to explain myself.One of the most common comments I get is regarding updates to my main site SaskUrbEx.My main issues is just how time consuming it is for me to update the site.So this blog will allow me to update my visitors much more frequently.My goal is to put at least 3 updates a month on here.This will not replace my main site; I will continue to update it. This blog is meant to complement the main site.
About me I will be the first to admit I have a strange fascination with the past, focussing primarily on Saskatchewans history.As a child I was always amazed by abandoned relics of our past.I used to stare at abandoned buildings and wondered what it was like inside and what it was like when the building was still in use.I still retain that amazement when I look at an old building or complex to this day.The first building I ever explored was an infirmary at an old mission over 10 years ago.I didnt have a camera, and had yet to hear the term urban explorer, and I believe I was a little drunk as well.That building is long gone now, but it continued to feed my urge to see more.
Weyburn Mental Hospital
In 2002 I stumbled across the Urban Exploration Alberta site and I was completely amazed by it.I was shocked to see that other people share this fascination.I for once thought maybe Im not crazy of course there are many other pieces of evidence that shows that I am a little off and that I march to beat of a different drum.In 2003 I started to get into photography and found that prairie scenery was my favourite subject.Over the next couple years I was more and more intrigued by several historical locations.By 2005 I was exploring a fair bit; however I didnt have anyone who I could explore with and I was limited because I wasnt willing to do solo exploration of some of our larger locations.
I bought my first DSLR camera in 2007 which got me out photographing again after some major changes in my life that put me on hiatus for a year or two.In 2008 I first met Arilem and for the first time I found someone who actually shared my love for and intrigue with exploring and documenting our forgotten history.2008 was an epic year for out little group that consisted of myself, Arilem, and Arilems boyfriend at the time (Phoenix Enigma).We explored the WeyburnMental Hospital a couple times that year as well as a few other hospitals, sanatoriums, military installations, schools, ghost towns, and countless farmhouses and churches.In fact we explored so much that we had a hard time finding more locations we could check out.
Steam Tunnels at Location X
Today I continue to go out photographing and exploring as much as possible.Arilem and I try to get out a couple times a month; however the winter makes it tough.We have such short days that what little time we have is typically in the dark so we dont take as many shots as we would in daylight.We have a couple trips planned in the coming weeks as we are both itching to get out and see more of the province.Please enjoy the blog please sent feedback as I love hearing about it, and check back for more regular updates.
