I've found drains very interesting for a while now, but never found the interest/nerve to attempt entering one until very recently (the next story I post). I was wandering around in the industrial park on the other side of the tracks from my home area, with a friend who I'm sure will be exploring with me in the future. We were there to kill some time, and hopefully watch a train go by if there was one.
Sadly, rail traffic was dead, so we started walking along the rear of these buildings. I knew there was a drain in the area, for in the subdivision across the tracks there was a vacant lot with a large grate on the ground. I was determined to find a way into there at some point. Nothing looked very promising where we were walking, and after being foiled by grated-off roof ladders, we were about to call it a day.
Going closer to the tracks, I spotted a very odd shape halfway down the slope between the parking lots and the rails. A large concrete box jutting out of the ground, with a manhole cover on the top. Bingo. Now I knew there was for sure a drain in the area, with a way to access it.
The box itself was really interesting. As it rose out of the ground, on one side an open window sat at ground level. It was secured by spaced out rebar, however that was not the main deterrent - a 15-20 foot drop to the floor of this odd room. On the opposite wall, ladder rungs for the manhole led to the loose rock floor, and a medium sized pipe led away from the room. It was definitely the entrance to a system, and I was determined to explore it some day.
After a futile attempt to raise the manhole with mere fingers in the two holes in the cover, we decided to give up and head for home. At one of the units in the industrial complex, there is an old fire truck parked out the back. I directed my friend past it, and were greeted by an unlocked driver's door.
We sat inside the decaying truck for a few minutes, which I suppose could be considered my first "exploration" of any sort. Of course, a cramped truck cab is not a venue to spend a lot of time in, so after that mild success, we headed home for good. Sure, I may not have been successful with my first attempted drain, but I knew I would return. Some day.
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