forums
new posts
donate
UER Store
events
location db
db map
search
members
faq
terms of service
privacy policy
register
login




UER Forum > US: South > Evacu-sploring (Viewed 2860 times)
NeuroticMatt 


Gender: Male
Total Likes: 298 likes




 |  | 
Evacu-sploring
< on 8/26/2017 4:05 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Hanging out up outside of Austin while hurricane Harvey has it's way with our house. My wife and son were going to kill some time with shopping and sushi, two things that are on the low end of the spectrum for excitement for me. So I headed out on my own to explore some areas that I had not explored yet.

Usually when I take a drive I have some plan of where to go and what I will find. This time I Just headed down the road and turned left or right when I felt like it. Found some pretty nice things I think, and some that I will definitely revisit. Not really keen on going thought the brush in crocks and shorts. lol

So, on with my finds!

Found this little shrine on the edge of a farm, is it used to pray for the harvest?
Country Shrine by Road Extx, on Flickr

This building was not crazy exciting, but I really loved the old DOuble Mint advertisement painted on the side.Double Mint by Road Extx, on Flickr

On the left side there uas more buildings that connected but had collapsed. Directly across the street was a new bank.
Drugs and Money by Road Extx, on Flickr

THe back of the old bank building, love the windows are still in tact! Can see evidence of the other building here as well.
Back of bank by Road Extx, on Flickr

Some more random buildings in a few different little towns around the area.

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

Silent Duo by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

Hardware by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

And of course some houses were found.

Green Roof by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

Yes there is a house back there.
8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

What is that I spied when I walked around a corner?
8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

Hello pretty!
8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

This random guy was out in the middle of no where.
Old Store Font by Road Extx, on Flickr

Loved this truck!
Abandoned Truck by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

8-25-17 by Road Extx, on Flickr

Chevy by Road Extx, on Flickr

That's all I got.

Thanks for taking your time to check them out.




Glass 


Location: Chicago
Total Likes: 18 likes


as one does

 |  |  | Substreet
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 1 on 8/27/2017 5:40 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Dat TRUUUCK!

Good luck with your house...




4Valhal 


Location: Kansas City, KS
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 119 likes




 |  |  | 4Valhal's Flickr
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 2 on 8/28/2017 4:21 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
That old Chevrolet Viking!

Love the pics of old school Americana. Always amazes me what you can find just cruising back roads and country highways.




Never climb after somebody with ulcerative colitis. -Steed
Pearson 


Location: Chicagoland/Sometimes Austin
Total Likes: 470 likes


You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

 |  |  | AIM Message
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 3 on 8/28/2017 6:16 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Hope you and your family are all okay, best wishes and great set.




Dee Ashley 


Location: DFW, Texas
Gender: Female
Total Likes: 1378 likes


Write something and wait expectantly.

 |  |  | My Flickr
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 4 on 8/30/2017 6:33 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
I love that truck! Great post, I just wish it had been prompted under better circumstances.
My mind has been preoccupied with Houston and the coast these last few days. Any news on how your neck of the woods fared through the storm yet?




I wandered till the stars went dim.
NeuroticMatt 


Gender: Male
Total Likes: 298 likes




 |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 5 on 8/31/2017 3:35 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by Dee Ashley
I love that truck! Great post, I just wish it had been prompted under better circumstances.
My mind has been preoccupied with Houston and the coast these last few days. Any news on how your neck of the woods fared through the storm yet?


We came home today. Still no power and have to boil water. We have a lot of tree limbs and our fences are down. House appears to have weathered the storm.

Lots of people not as well of as us. And my heart is breaking for Galveston, Houston and other locations. This storm has the biggest area of effect that I've seen down here.

Edit: Photo added. Maybe.

Maybe not. Here is a link. (I'm on my phone)
https://flic.kr/p/X33UnT



[last edit 8/31/2017 3:41 AM by NeuroticMatt - edited 3 times]

Dee Ashley 


Location: DFW, Texas
Gender: Female
Total Likes: 1378 likes


Write something and wait expectantly.

 |  |  | My Flickr
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 6 on 9/4/2017 2:32 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by NeuroticMatt


We came home today. Still no power and have to boil water. We have a lot of tree limbs and our fences are down. House appears to have weathered the storm.

Lots of people not as well of as us. And my heart is breaking for Galveston, Houston and other locations. This storm has the biggest area of effect that I've seen down here.

Edit: Photo added. Maybe.

Maybe not. Here is a link. (I'm on my phone)
https://flic.kr/p/X33UnT


What area do you live in? I was thinking you were in Houston. Regardless of the specific spot, I'd say it definitely could have been much worse. I'm glad your home made it through, but most importantly, I'm glad you're safe!




I wandered till the stars went dim.
NeuroticMatt 


Gender: Male
Total Likes: 298 likes




 |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 7 on 9/5/2017 12:34 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by Dee Ashley


What area do you live in? I was thinking you were in Houston. Regardless of the specific spot, I'd say it definitely could have been much worse. I'm glad your home made it through, but most importantly, I'm glad you're safe!


Nope, I am South of Houston, I live in Victoria. Most of our city is back up and running. Though there are a lot of people still without power and basic necessities.

Just got power back at our office yesterday so finally back at work! Work is in a nearby city of Port Lavaca.




Explorer Zero 


Total Likes: 2026 likes




 |  |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 8 on 9/5/2017 2:21 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by NeuroticMatt


Just got power back at our office yesterday so finally back at work! Work is in a nearby city of Port Lavaca.


I had a chance to explore the active Alcoa plant at Point Comfort many many years ago, when UER had not been invented yet. I was there for a job but got bored and took off around the plant, finally a guy driving a mosquito fogger truck saw me and turned me in, you should have seen all the security but when they figured out who I was they just asked me to stay away form the bauxite and caustic soda dust.

You can grab a handful of their chain-link fence and just break it off its so corroded and brittle! Hope you don't park or work there. Between them and Formosa plastics they were #1 and #2 on the EPA top ten polluters list.




NeuroticMatt 


Gender: Male
Total Likes: 298 likes




 |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 9 on 9/5/2017 2:43 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by 2Xplorations


I had a chance to explore the active Alcoa plant at Point Comfort many many years ago, when UER had not been invented yet. I was there for a job but got bored and took off around the plant, finally a guy driving a mosquito fogger truck saw me and turned me in, you should have seen all the security but when they figured out who I was they just asked me to stay away form the bauxite and caustic soda dust.

You can grab a handful of their chain-link fence and just break it off its so corroded and brittle! Hope you don't park or work there. Between them and Formosa plastics they were #1 and #2 on the EPA top ten polluters list.


I am intimately familiar with the Alcoa plant here. The plant has been curtailed for the past year, only running systems required for maintenance. I work at a local engineering firm as a structural designer. Up till the curtailment I was pretty regular out there for the past twenty years.

One task that I have had out there was to perform a structural audit of the entire site. It was a good solid month of scouring every inch of that place. The tunnels are fun, the gantry crane less so. lol

I still have some contact out there and am working on being able to go out there to photograph the location. That place was built in the 1950's and has some of the most interesting equipment I have ever seen. I would love to photograph it before it is gone...

I need to check to see how it handled Harvey.




Explorer Zero 


Total Likes: 2026 likes




 |  |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 10 on 9/5/2017 4:17 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Ok, we'll have to share some horror stories, I have a few Polaroid pics mostly in the office area where I was actually "supposed" to be and of snow drifts of dry caustic bauxite ore slurry sitting on top of metal items like new cars and playground equipment once the morning dew settled on it look out man sizzle city I watched it under a microscope actually eating into galvanized steel!

Just don't breathe that shit man, several of my industrial hygiene techs, investigators and claims adjustors got real sick, the Alcoa workers apparently get used to it, I could tell after being there for just a week I had irritating crap in my eyes, lungs and throat from it. It fogged (etched) the glass on my car windshield but not the side glass I suppose since its tempered.

The mud on the bay floor up there is pretty much dead too we took some samples out in water about armpit deep (I had to do that because my city boy tech dudes were afraid of sharks!)

I told them no shark could survive in that toxic salt water which at that time was more fresh water rain runoff than salt. Salinity was way down to about half what it should be. Ever wonder why the shrimp left upper Lavaca Bay?

Everybody was suing Alcoa, home owners, employees, city of Point Comfort Police, fishermen, some environmental group that just got through suing Formosa, what a cluster fuck.

I like industry but if they cant control their pollution Im kinda glad theyre shut down. Last time I was there was probably 1997 or 98.




MisUnderstood! 


Location: SouthEast, Texas
Gender: Female
Total Likes: 2046 likes


W/MyOwnEyes

 |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 11 on 9/7/2017 4:33 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Your photography just keeps getting better and better Really Awesome set. Lovin all these old buildings and that Wonderful, Colorful, Rusted TRUCK! Whoa!




A place of Mystery is Always worth a curiosity trip!
NeuroticMatt 


Gender: Male
Total Likes: 298 likes




 |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 12 on 9/8/2017 1:19 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by 2Xplorations
Ok, we'll have to share some horror stories,


Believe it or not, I have been to much worse locations. Back in the days when you were there the Point Comfort location was pretty bad. It actually has improved a lot over the years. It is just a really messy process no matter what they do.

As far as adventures out there, yeah. I've had plenty of chemicals sprayed on me, was almost thrown off a boom crane due to operator error, almost run over by a front end loader, had a couple of walking surfaces give way under me, even got stuck in a HF gas release and had to be drug out. You had to watch your butt out there. I approach exploring as if I am out there, always pay attention.

They are one year into a five year curtailment, at the end of the five years they will determine if they will shut down for good or restart. The reason for the current curtailment is not due to environmental reasons, but because China is providing materials cheaper than they can be produced here.



Posted by MisUnderstood!
Your photography just keeps getting better and better Really Awesome set. Lovin all these old buildings and that Wonderful, Colorful, Rusted TRUCK! Whoa!

Thank you very much! I tried to tone down the saturation this time. lol
I loved that truck. I wanted to go into the building, there was an open door inviting me, but there was also a neighbor outside doing yard work.





Explorer Zero 


Total Likes: 2026 likes




 |  |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 13 on 9/8/2017 3:31 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Alrighty then you made me scan these Polaroid memories from around 1994 + or - a year. Taken at the Point Comfort Alcoa plant.

Police chief was a public official on duty no expectation of privacy. He was arresting one of my adjustors for not buying him a new squad car (his was a real piece of junk and already a total loss before Alcoa messed it up further)
1.


Me trying to fit in, I think a lot of the employees here had more hair growing out of their ears than I had on my chin. Too much caustic soda I guess.
2.


Corporate mosquito patrol. This is the fogger truck driver guy that ratted me out for being in the wrong area. Hell I had a hard hat and goggles just not enough ear hair I suppose. (note plume of Malathion coming from fogger)
3.


Bumper sticker. Employee's truck in the lot, one of the office managers/workers. Warning no rump rangers allowed.
4.


Sorry to take over your thread, just had a lot of memories to laugh at again.



[last edit 9/8/2017 5:36 PM by Explorer Zero - edited 1 times]

s9UVdeLRG6 


Gender: Male
Total Likes: 15 likes




 |  | 
Re: Evacu-sploring
< Reply # 14 on 3/17/2018 6:16 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Shame all the pictures are gone. To an extent, it makes the post almost a mystery not knowing what it actually was.




UER Forum > US: South > Evacu-sploring (Viewed 2860 times)


Add a poll to this thread



This thread is currently Public. Anyone, including search engines, may see it.



All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire.
To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site: UER CONTACT
View Terms of Service | View Privacy Policy | Server colocation provided by Beanfield
This page was generated for you in 105 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 736973398 pages have been generated.