Broken Pavement

Lucky Break

Gambling and UE, on a simply glance both of these activities appear to be separate entities that have very little or no similarities or connections to each other. However, if this trip has taught me anything, it is that UE and gambling are indeed closely related and often work together in close unison that can test and surprise even the most seasoned and determined explorer. Case in point, I was down on my luck, in two days of driving I had not found one single ghost town or building that was remotely interesting for exploring. My spirits were low so when it came time to make a decision of whether or not to make the detour to a place that looked as if an abandoned mine may be I took a gamble and choose to take the detour rather than continue on my “planned” route. As I approached the mine/processing facility I was sure that it was still active as there was no visible decay on the buildings. However as I drove closer to the site I noticed that none of the giant fans on one of the large buildings were moving and that the rail tracks crossing the road had a considerable amount of gravel over the rails. The confusion ended when I saw a great deal of “No Trespassing” signs and no visible activity in either the mine or its associated buildings. My strategy was to start from the furthest most remote building and work toward the compound of buildings. The most remote and isolated building was on the north side of the property on the edge of the massive drying pond and had on the roof a giant silver “wheel.” As my eyes adjusted to the light I gazed upon something magnificent and astounding, a four story structure that reached to the ceiling along with two owls that seemed to fly around as if they guarded the building. I was so amazed with everything that by the time I got around to write this article I had forgotten how I went through the building. However I can remember that in the office the last document was a calendar from December 2000 and that the clocks were frozen in time, their hands collecting dust while its gears slowly seized as time wore down its lubricants. With nothing left to explore I went outside into the blazing sun and trekked across the edge of the drying pond to what appeared to be a boat. As I walked along a pipe-line of raw Na₂SO₄ 10H₂O a honey truck passed by and appeared to be slowing down at the sight of me walking in an open field. However the truck went on its way and I continued on towards the boat. Up close, the boat was quite large, at least one hundred feet long, a large pump on the front and two large poles near the back of the vessel. Access to the interior of the boat such as the cabin and engine compartment were sealed tight and when I came across a Radioactive sign I decided that although the toxic materials had been removed it would be in my best interest to leave this boat alone. I then shifted my eyes towards the top of the hill where the main processing facility was located. After 10 minutes of walking I approached the building and found an entry though it required quite a bit of determination to get in without having to break anything. As I entered once again my jaw dropped and I let out a low pitched whistle as I stood underneath what appeared to be a six story structure. I wanted to save this building for last so I walked up to the top of the structure and proceeded to walk across a conveyor belt into the next building. As the conveyor ended I was confronted with a catwalk that led across a three story machine and to a building with five large silver bins that had some augers in the bottom of it. Above the bins and to the right were 12 large fans whose exact purpose I was not sure of. After taking pictures of the building I walked down the stairway to the ground level and proceeded to go underneath the bins where there the motors and pipes that fed Na₂SO₄ 10H₂O into the bins and move the augers. Walking back to the main building I noticed that I was covered in the white substance that was present on every piece of machinery, so much so that I resembled the character “Powder.” The complex of machinery in the main building was amazing and the catwalks that surrounded the behemoth of machinery resembled a giant maze and it took me quite a while to find the way down to the second level. On the second level contained the main production offices where all the documents were still in the desks and the clocks frozen in time. After exploring the offices and the tanks on the second level I proceeded down to the first level where two amazing large pipes sat on concrete footings that were as tall as me. Other than the electric engines and pipes there was nothing else but concrete footings and support beams so I decided to go out, wash off and continue ghost town hunting.