The name is McBain. Actually my name is Jeremy. I am a Kingston Ontario Urban Explorer. I am a 24 year old explorer who works full-time as a Over-The-Phone Business Customer Care Support Rep for a major US cellular phone provider.(T-Mobile USA). I have been exploring off and on for the last 5 years, but have become more serious about the hobby within the last year.
What type of an explorer am I? Well I am more of the abandoned buildings/properties type of explorer. Even though I have never tried exploring a drain before since most locations I have explored or lived at do not have drains that are explorable. I prefer the abandoned buildings/properties because I am interested alot in the history of these locations. Thinking of what the location use to be, and now looking at it during the present time, and thinking what it will look like in the near future is what keeps me interested. I think the reason why I am interested in these type of locations is because most of the areas in which I grew up in are towns that relied alot on one industry to keep it going. Once the industry was gone, so were the people, and so were the businesses. Leaving behind alot of history and memories, and belongings as they abandon the town. Many places in Northern Ontario are similar to these. For example, I use to live in a town called Virginiatown Ontario, which is a mining town east of Kirkland Lake. Well before I was alive, and living there, it was a booming down with gold mines to the north, south, east,west. Eventually the mines shut down, the people moved, and the town has become close to fully abandoned. I recently travelled by the town over the summer, and noticed that every 2nd or 3rd house would either be abandoned, For Sale (totally empty as well) or torn down and nothing erected up on the property. I could drive through the entire town, and not see a single person outside on their property, or even walking around. It was like something out of an apocalyptic type movie.
How Do I Get Around?: For most of my explorations, which are usually a good distance away from where I live, I use my 1996 Chevrolet Lumina Mini-Van to get around. The van is big enough to store my gear, and is the cheapest campground/hotel around. For locations that are more in the backwoods, or harder to access, I have my 2000 Gary Fisher Tassajara Mountain Bike. It has got me to some of the toughest locations, and have never let me down yet. Probably a even better investment than my van is.
What Gear Do I carry? Depending on location, my basic gear I will carry is a Camelbak Mule Hydration Pack. It stores around 2 litres of water which is plenty enough for exploring. I also usually carry around my Cellular Phone which is a Motorola I95CL Telus phone with 2-way radio functionality. I also carry my FRS/GMRS radio .I also carry a Mini Maglite Flashlight, and a Normal Sized Maglite with me to most locations. I also carry gloves.
What Kind Of Camera Do I Use? I have recently invested in a Canon A95 Powershot Camera. It has 5 Megapixels, 12 X Digital and Optical Zoom, and is a great point and shoot type camera. It also has an amazing video option with sound recording which I tend to use once on my explorations for a different point of view. I also carry a 1 GB CF Memory Card, a 512 MB CF and a 32 MB CF Card. I also have a very small collapsible tripod that I carry as well.
Best UE Location Explored So Far? Best location so far definitely has to be the Midway Country Motel on Highway 2 East of Kingston. The location has so much to explore. 2 Floors, Utility Sheds, Abandoned Buses and an entrance point inside the hotel itself.
Location I Would Love to Explore: Area 51 would probably be my first choice. Just being able to see what type of aircraft and military equipment being tested at the site would be great.I could take pictures all day. My second choice would have to be the Diefenbunker. This looks like an amazing location to check out, just too bad that pictures are not allowed during the tours.
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