Adventure Tuesday! at ConAgra Mill
[This format might be completely sucky. I had a rotten-busy day at work yesterday, though, and I feel like trying something new.]
Adventure Tuesday!: I had this plan that I wanted to get to the top of a new Grain Elevator I've been looking at. Grain elevators are still interesting enough, but what I was really looking for was one in particular which should have an excellent view of downtown. A few months back I made a cursory check and it seemed that once inside a couple of fences it should be wide open.
During the course of the day, however, Dawny (spending the day with The Boy) texted me a few pics of an abandoned ConAgra mill near my work. Eventually I decided to make a stop there on my way home from work to check it out.
Afternoon: The place is right next to a walking path, kind of in the middle of everywhere in a non-excellent part of town. All of which is to say that the place is pretty well blown out. Graffiti everywhere. It's colorful, and all, and that's nice, but due to the area, the placement of the building itself, and how long it's been there I could be pretty sure that it would be devoid of much original character.
Evening: There was a ball game taking place just down the street from the mill, so there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. I couldn't decide if that made me look more in place with my tripod or more out of place. In the end, it didn't much matter because no one cared about me, everyone else was there to enjoy a ball game. Everyone else, that is, besides a pair of teenage girls who said "Hi" and began shadowing me at a distance.
Afternoon: I am a fan of spray paint when it's more involved than "Nutsweat Wuz Here," though, so there was still some charm in the exterior. Seeing how a place is redecorated long after the original occupants have left is interesting in it's own right.
Evening: The girls loitered around and one of them eventually began making awkward attempts at small talk that make me look suave.
"Hi again."
"Hey."
"...."
[taking pictures]
"My friend and I were wondering why you were taking pictures of this place."
"I just... really like industrial ruins, I guess."
Afternoon: Walking in the loading bay, between the two main buildings, I found the burnt skull of a small dog amongst a bed of coals. The remainder of the dog was in a bag not too far away.
So, you know, the place has some real charm.
Evening: "Yeah, we think it's really pretty too. There's a lot of dead animals over there."
"Yeah, I saw them earlier."
"There's a skull that's in some coals. Something must have eaten it, huh?"
"Yeah... Probably."
Afternoon: I made my way around the outside, poking and prodding the building until I found an entrance.
Evening: I made a quick escape when the girls wandered off, and quietly slipped back inside alone, not wanting to give them any ideas about wandering about inside an old mill. Not that I'm one to talk, but I'm not about to put someone else's kids in that kind of position.
(This is not the image I meant to upload. Alas.)
Afternoon: This is when I discovered that the small light I'd been keeping in my regular Adventure Bag is crap. I used to have a decent one in there. This new one seemed better when I tried it in my office. It casts a small PRECISE circle of clear light, but with almost NO splash. So if I'm looking at this eight inch circle of wall and garbage in one spot and there's a hideous, drooling monster three inches to the left of said spot? I'm just not going to see him.
So that was fun.
In addition, the "lobby" smelled like rancid feces - it was terrible! I wouldn't be able to smell a monster approaching, either. (Or maybe it was a monster I was smelling?)
Even further, there was clops of something dripping out of the ceiling, from time to time! Wet, rancid grain sludge. Awesome. Just awesome.
Evening: Having proper lights allowed me to spend even more time in the Rancid Shit Chamber trying to get some shots of ugly old shit before moving on into the better ventilated portions of the place. I didn't see any clear means of accessing the rest of the complex from inside, though there was a hole in a basement wall that might be worth looking into.
Afternoon: Fortunately, once you get out from under what must be the grain storage area, the place airs out a lot and the atmosphere wasn't too bad. Of course, there were holes everywhere. Which was nice from a natural light standpoint, but bad for a "be careful not to fall into the rancid basement/floor below" standpoint.
Evening: While I was in the less horrible section of the first floor, setting up a shot near the hole, I started hearing sounds from where I came in. The entrance was being tried and there were faint whispers and some shuffling. I couldn't see anything, but I figured it must have been the girls, again. I wasn't happy about their (apparent) decision to poke around inside but I wanted to let them know I was in there, I wanted to reassure them.
I wanted to not scare their entire faces off.
[shuffle-shuffle, whisper-whisper]
From across the room from the entrance I offered, "... I'm friendly."
[All noises cease, pause]
SHRIEKING GIRL NOISES: "OH MY GOD!!! RUN!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"
[panic flight noises]
I couldn't help but smile as I went back to my camera. I don't know if they were looking for me again or what, but I figured I wouldn't have to worry with any more intrusions, at least.
Afternoon: The building I went through was pretty much completely blown out - graffiti and not much else.
Evening: I made my way through, taking pictures.
It's an interesting place, the pieces I've seen anyway. Functionally it reminds me of Purina, but the decoration is a lot like Pig Nut was.
Afternoon: There is a door on the far wall here on the second floor. It had some real ghetto-fabulous lock consisting of a bent wire spun through the hasp. I didn't give it too much thought as it only goes out to the canopy thing that covers the loading bay between the two main structures.
Evening: I undid the ghetto lock and took a look at the roof structure. I hadn't gotten a real good look at it from underneath because I was distracted by girls and not really thinking about it. I tried it in a very small way, and there is some evidence of being traversed, but not much and there are some areas which are definitely a little shady.
The other building (on the left here) is buttoned up pretty tight from the ground floor, though. The basement is probably relatively accessible, but there is an unknown quantity of black liquid flooding the place. If we're to get any further in, it's likely going to be from this canopy.
I should have tried the canopy a little more. Next time I'm there I'll be able to better evaluate the roof in question from below, though, and see if it's worth the trouble. I tend to play things a little safer when I'm alone.
I think that's mostly reasonable.
I replaced the wire "lock" and continued on.
Afternoon: At the top of the stairs is a Fire Door.
Evening: Yep. Sure is.
"Chairman Mao Wuz Here, Nigga."
Afternoon: There were some areas where access might be gained to the rest of the complex, but they required better lights so I left after a pretty short trip, deciding it would be worth a return "some day."
Evening: I went home, transferred what I needed to my Adventure Camera Bag and made my way out.
The first elevator fell through because, after slipping under/through a couple fences and standing around like a damned yokel, I wasn't able to access anything more interesting than an old electrical room that didn't go anywhere.
I went back to Mill Hell, intending to try Kurth (next door to Pig Nut - the first elevator we went to) and that fucker almost looks like it's still active, so I don't know what to make of that, really. From there I considered just going back into Pig Nut and trying the roof. I was torn between the desire to see something new and the desire to hit two spots.
In the end, I went back to ConAgra.
I know. I was on the way out, though, and I just couldn't resist.
Adventure Tuesday!: I had this plan that I wanted to get to the top of a new Grain Elevator I've been looking at. Grain elevators are still interesting enough, but what I was really looking for was one in particular which should have an excellent view of downtown. A few months back I made a cursory check and it seemed that once inside a couple of fences it should be wide open.
During the course of the day, however, Dawny (spending the day with The Boy) texted me a few pics of an abandoned ConAgra mill near my work. Eventually I decided to make a stop there on my way home from work to check it out.
Afternoon: The place is right next to a walking path, kind of in the middle of everywhere in a non-excellent part of town. All of which is to say that the place is pretty well blown out. Graffiti everywhere. It's colorful, and all, and that's nice, but due to the area, the placement of the building itself, and how long it's been there I could be pretty sure that it would be devoid of much original character.
Evening: There was a ball game taking place just down the street from the mill, so there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. I couldn't decide if that made me look more in place with my tripod or more out of place. In the end, it didn't much matter because no one cared about me, everyone else was there to enjoy a ball game. Everyone else, that is, besides a pair of teenage girls who said "Hi" and began shadowing me at a distance.
Afternoon: I am a fan of spray paint when it's more involved than "Nutsweat Wuz Here," though, so there was still some charm in the exterior. Seeing how a place is redecorated long after the original occupants have left is interesting in it's own right.
Evening: The girls loitered around and one of them eventually began making awkward attempts at small talk that make me look suave.
"Hi again."
"Hey."
"...."
[taking pictures]
"My friend and I were wondering why you were taking pictures of this place."
"I just... really like industrial ruins, I guess."
Afternoon: Walking in the loading bay, between the two main buildings, I found the burnt skull of a small dog amongst a bed of coals. The remainder of the dog was in a bag not too far away.
So, you know, the place has some real charm.
Evening: "Yeah, we think it's really pretty too. There's a lot of dead animals over there."
"Yeah, I saw them earlier."
"There's a skull that's in some coals. Something must have eaten it, huh?"
"Yeah... Probably."
Afternoon: I made my way around the outside, poking and prodding the building until I found an entrance.
Evening: I made a quick escape when the girls wandered off, and quietly slipped back inside alone, not wanting to give them any ideas about wandering about inside an old mill. Not that I'm one to talk, but I'm not about to put someone else's kids in that kind of position.
(This is not the image I meant to upload. Alas.)
Afternoon: This is when I discovered that the small light I'd been keeping in my regular Adventure Bag is crap. I used to have a decent one in there. This new one seemed better when I tried it in my office. It casts a small PRECISE circle of clear light, but with almost NO splash. So if I'm looking at this eight inch circle of wall and garbage in one spot and there's a hideous, drooling monster three inches to the left of said spot? I'm just not going to see him.
So that was fun.
In addition, the "lobby" smelled like rancid feces - it was terrible! I wouldn't be able to smell a monster approaching, either. (Or maybe it was a monster I was smelling?)
Even further, there was clops of something dripping out of the ceiling, from time to time! Wet, rancid grain sludge. Awesome. Just awesome.
Evening: Having proper lights allowed me to spend even more time in the Rancid Shit Chamber trying to get some shots of ugly old shit before moving on into the better ventilated portions of the place. I didn't see any clear means of accessing the rest of the complex from inside, though there was a hole in a basement wall that might be worth looking into.
Afternoon: Fortunately, once you get out from under what must be the grain storage area, the place airs out a lot and the atmosphere wasn't too bad. Of course, there were holes everywhere. Which was nice from a natural light standpoint, but bad for a "be careful not to fall into the rancid basement/floor below" standpoint.
Evening: While I was in the less horrible section of the first floor, setting up a shot near the hole, I started hearing sounds from where I came in. The entrance was being tried and there were faint whispers and some shuffling. I couldn't see anything, but I figured it must have been the girls, again. I wasn't happy about their (apparent) decision to poke around inside but I wanted to let them know I was in there, I wanted to reassure them.
I wanted to not scare their entire faces off.
[shuffle-shuffle, whisper-whisper]
From across the room from the entrance I offered, "... I'm friendly."
[All noises cease, pause]
SHRIEKING GIRL NOISES: "OH MY GOD!!! RUN!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"
[panic flight noises]
I couldn't help but smile as I went back to my camera. I don't know if they were looking for me again or what, but I figured I wouldn't have to worry with any more intrusions, at least.
Afternoon: The building I went through was pretty much completely blown out - graffiti and not much else.
Evening: I made my way through, taking pictures.
It's an interesting place, the pieces I've seen anyway. Functionally it reminds me of Purina, but the decoration is a lot like Pig Nut was.
Afternoon: There is a door on the far wall here on the second floor. It had some real ghetto-fabulous lock consisting of a bent wire spun through the hasp. I didn't give it too much thought as it only goes out to the canopy thing that covers the loading bay between the two main structures.
Evening: I undid the ghetto lock and took a look at the roof structure. I hadn't gotten a real good look at it from underneath because I was distracted by girls and not really thinking about it. I tried it in a very small way, and there is some evidence of being traversed, but not much and there are some areas which are definitely a little shady.
The other building (on the left here) is buttoned up pretty tight from the ground floor, though. The basement is probably relatively accessible, but there is an unknown quantity of black liquid flooding the place. If we're to get any further in, it's likely going to be from this canopy.
I should have tried the canopy a little more. Next time I'm there I'll be able to better evaluate the roof in question from below, though, and see if it's worth the trouble. I tend to play things a little safer when I'm alone.
I think that's mostly reasonable.
I replaced the wire "lock" and continued on.
Afternoon: At the top of the stairs is a Fire Door.
Evening: Yep. Sure is.
"Chairman Mao Wuz Here, Nigga."
Afternoon: There were some areas where access might be gained to the rest of the complex, but they required better lights so I left after a pretty short trip, deciding it would be worth a return "some day."
Evening: I went home, transferred what I needed to my Adventure Camera Bag and made my way out.
The first elevator fell through because, after slipping under/through a couple fences and standing around like a damned yokel, I wasn't able to access anything more interesting than an old electrical room that didn't go anywhere.
I went back to Mill Hell, intending to try Kurth (next door to Pig Nut - the first elevator we went to) and that fucker almost looks like it's still active, so I don't know what to make of that, really. From there I considered just going back into Pig Nut and trying the roof. I was torn between the desire to see something new and the desire to hit two spots.
In the end, I went back to ConAgra.
I know. I was on the way out, though, and I just couldn't resist.