It's 2:00am and the alarm is going off. "Shit. Do I really want to do this?", comes the question in my head. Everything is packed and ready to go for my upcoming business trip out of state but it's a 6 hour drive and honestly, I have all day to get there.

I hit snooze but cannot go back to sleep. The images I had been looking at all week are seared into my memory and I throw the sheets off before the alarm goes off again. Coffee, a smoke, take a leak then a shower. Now the juices are flowing and before 3:00 I'm on the road headed east.

The trip itself is uneventful - I've done it over a hundred times and feel like I did it in my sleep. Anxiety was a constant presence as I go over the "what if's" of security, safety, entry etc. I work out my own dialogue for each thing I can think of if I'm caught or encounter "unsavory characters". These play out the entire way but always end up with me walking out ok.

When I arrive a slight sense of panic followed quickly by a jolt as anger seizes me. "God Damnit! What the FUCK!" I yell to myself inside my SUV. For days I contacted people who had made this explore in the past - some as recently as a couple of months ago. Google Earth street view from June showed an obvious POE - this place was wide open - but not now.

Instead of a simple fence that was torn down in several spots, welded doors and razor wire awaited me. I had a tool that could get through the fence but I hate doing it and just being having it in Texas is a felony - god knows what it is in this ass-backwards state.

I grab my gear and begin my perimeter search for some weakness I can exploit. As I finish the front section and begin to round the corner I find a small path and immediately come across what looks like a thrown together shelter. I call out sever times and it is soon answered by "whos out there?". I tell her my name and say that I'm an urban explorer. An older lady, dirty and shoeless with disheveled hair emerges and my nostrils are immediately assaulted. This lady hasnt bathed in weeks.

I explain to her that I'm an urban explorer and that I want to get into the nearby building to take pictures. I asked if she knew a way in and if she would be willing to help. She says that I just woke her up but she would be pleased to help and that she knew a way in that hasnt been secured yet.

As we trudged through knee high weeds with ankle high water she tells me about some of the recent security changes, and a brief account of her life story and what brought her to this place. We finally find the entrance and I offer her $20 for her help at which point she began to cry and asked me to take a picture of her - I was happy to do so.

The POE wasnt the easiest for a fat middle-aged man with almost 20 lbs of gear on his back to manage but with only a couple of scrapes I was finally in. Location services on, send location to Mrs. Ulcer and Tracking for 24 hours - all set and the picture snapping begins. When I entered I began hearing strange noises like birds in the distance and metal hitting metal. "Just paranoia. Calm down and keep shooting", I tell myself.

About 20 minutes into the explore the bird sound gets much louder and it sounds contrived. I call out - "Anyone home?". 3 floors below me a man with a baseball cap, long hair and a backpack emerges. We exchange words and he says that he knows this place like the back of his hand and agrees to show me around.

With that I met the Cowboy who has a great story of his own. I may write about it someday but lets stop with all the chattin and lets get to why you started reading this in the 1st place - the pics. Hope you enjoy them!

The complete shoot can be seen on Flickr here:

https://www.flickr.../72157657400336494


1. Ms. "Kitty Kat"


2. "Cowboy"


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That is absolutely awesome.

Another exciting episode in the life of Mr. Ulcer. I must hear the full story of Miss Kitty and Cowboy..K. I can't believe how much this places has changed since the year i stood on the outside watching the security wrap up the Movie Oblivion. You have some Awesome shots here. 24 Rocks! Love the murky water and the sunlight hitting on things to the left. Always enjoy seeing the control panels too. Glad you made it!

Anyone have any idea why the water in the 2nd to last? I think? photo is different colors?

Posted by theduckling Anyone have any idea why the water in the 2nd to last? I think? photo is different colors?

Oil, perhaps?


I'm really drawn to 15, the trains and the bridge, it's just so pretty. As always, cool set man.

Thanks for the kind words. I think the "stuff" floating was algae. The basements been flooded for a while.

Great set!! Glad to see you got in after realizing it had been newly sealed! Nothing worse than finding a place boarded up that was open not long before. I don't think I would have had the courage to follow ms. Kitty Kat around.... Worth it for those pictures though!

Great photos Peptic, and very moving story to go along with them. I hope you brought along some swim trunks and canon-balled into the pool in photo 24. If there ever was a unique super hero origin story it would certainly entail coming out of that toxic lagoon with some pretty nifty superpowers. As for Kitty Kat and Cowboy it's unfortunate to see some of the most caring and helpful people with the most heartbreaking stories end up on the streets. Glad you had a safe explore otherwise!

Nice location. No telling whats in that water though. Up to and including PCBs.

Where in the world was #18/19?! I always thought there'd be a central monitoring station somewhere. Pretty sure I hit every floor too!

Yeah I probably would have never found this without my tour guide "Cowboy". He's been coming to this place for over a decade and its his home when in New Orleans. He knew this place like the back of his hand. Homeless people can be an amazing source of information and I love hearing their stories (heavy emphasis on the "stories"...).

Ugh <3 this place is my fave, so many lights and shadows.

Now that is an awesome place to explore. Wouldn't mind seeing that myself.