Headquaters Mill - Comox Valley

This beautiful old rough timber mill was built in 1912-1913. 

I love the bright coloured graffiti that graces the walls of this building!!

You can see in some of the pictures that it has been modified to be used as a skateboard park.

I don't know if you know but I love seeing if places like this have basements!! There was a scary looking hole that looking like it would go to a basement.

I did go down there and look around, it didn't looking amazingly safe down there to beware if you opt to look for yourself. It was very low ceilings and if you followed the path down there and took a left it opened up and was enough room for people to stand. There was old piping and paint cans down there was well as a lot of frogs.

It was too dark to get an good pictures but I did take this one on my way out.

It was super easy to get here and is now part of a park, if  you follow the trail into the woods a little there are also a couple smaller cement foundations. 

Happy exploring!!

Big Metal Wheel - Near Living Forest Nanaimo

 I have been going for walks in this area for years now and my favorite part is going to see this giant wheel. I have always just assumed that because of Nanaimo's rich mining history it was from the mining days. This and the fact that there was so much coal slag everywhere. 

I have recently found out that it was actually left over (from what I can piece together online) from a dolphin dock used by a concrete plant. There are still some other remains of the business near the river's shore. 

This was the first time my Dad had ever seen it, which is kind of cool that even after living in the area for over 30 years you can still see things that are new and exciting. I even had some friends that where living at the Living Forest and didn't even know it was there. 

Something so close to the city and so few people know about it, I highly recommend taking a stroll down and taking a look for yourself. 

Power Station - Jordan River, BC

From what I can find online this power station was built in 1911. 

There is one main building (the power station) and a few smaller buildings around it.

The main building is very big inside and has a basement. The basement is just full of garbage and spray paint cans. 

There is also some little spillways that are big enough to walk in.

It has some amazing graffiti on the walls!! It was just a short walk from the road as well. 

Forth Lake Dam - Nanaimo

 If you time it right and all the gates are open you can see so much up Nanaimo Lakes area!

We just so happened to time it right a couple weeks ago and made it all the way to Forth Lake Dam!

I wish I had of taken a picture from the top of the dam so you could see the lake but I am still working on the remembering to take pictures thing.

This is the view from the bottom of the dam.

It's no fancy Hover Dam I can tell you that. It looks much more like a big pile of rocks from this side. It is a little more concretey on the other side.

You know how much I love open doors to dark places, so this was exciting to see!

I was so excited!! I was convinced I was going into this big dam and there would be so much cool stuff to see!! It was still cool but much MUCH smaller than I was hoping for.

It was just a little room with a big rusty pipe. 

After a quick look around we had to get back as the gate was going to be closing soon. On the way back I saw a little shack in the woods and was convince it was an old wooden outhouse. We decided to stop and double check.

Right looks like and outhouse! Well you and me are wrong. We opened the door and inside was a big hole that was a pipe with a ladder that went down like 10 feet into some water. There was also a metal chain that went down in the water. It was weird. I was happy when the guy who looks after making sure everyone is out before he locks the gate saw us and said hi. He said it was some kind of testing thing for the government. They come can check on it every once and a while. 

Riverview Hospital - Coquitlam, BC

 This one might look familiar to you. Riverview is an insane asylum that was opened in 1913. It is now not technically abandoned as many movies and tv shows now film here. Shows like Riverdale and movies like Deadpool 2.

You are able to walk the property but not allowed inside the buildings. I have heard from someone that helped film a show there, there is also underground tunnels that connect most of the building.

It is a really pretty walk and you might also get to see something being filmed!