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.