merry christmas

As you all know i explore with the owner of Saskurbex.com & this blog is a part of the website exploresask.com, which i own. We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from both sites and thank you for all your support throughout the year.
**Updates are soon to appear on both sites and this blog will continue to be updated as much as possible.
From the both of us:

Note: This is a picture that was not planned. I knocked over the tree and tried to put it back up just as the picture was being taken. Enjoy!

one year

I can't believe it has been one year to the day since i started this blog. I have been exploring alot longer than a year - but it took me a while to start a blog. Even when i did start it i wasn't sure anyone would actually read it. I have had over 1000 people read my blog which is amazing.

In celebration of my one year anniversary of the blog i decided to look back on some of my favorite moments in the past year or two:

+ rolling a wheelchair down the hall of an asylum
+ jumping through windows to get into buildings
+ taking a face plant in tunnels full of asbestos
+ walking the halls of abandoned hospitals
+ sitting on the roof an active twenty story building at midnight
+ playing many many abandoned pianos & organs in churches
+ spending spare time at an old hospital & drawing some of the rooms
+ standing on the top of an old radar tower
+ meeting explorers from other places
+ exploring on the coldest day of the year
+ finding a large location virtually untouched
+ having my car die after only one year of exploring with it

& so much more

It has been an amazing time exploring and i do not plan on stopping anytime soon. I have watched many of the locations i have documented get demolished in the past year which sucks - but i know that i was able to see and photograph them before they were gone.

Some of the biggest loses in the past year was the Weyburn Mental Hospital, an abandoned mine and many many farmhouses lost to arsonists. Hardest part of this hobby is losing locations or not being able to see as much of them as you can before they are gone.

Its been a great year and i will continue to blog all my future endeavors. I have had an awesome time with almost everyone i have gone out exploring with. I would like to extend a special thanks to two very important people that i explore with. The first is saskurbex.com for for making as much time as possible to come out exploring with me. I would also like to thank PhoenixEnigma who also explores with me and is helping me with the exploresask website. We have hit some awesome locations together and i look forward to the new year!

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and shares it with others. Please remember if you have any comments, questions, tips or if you explore in this province as well please send me an e-mail.

Thank you,
arilem

a christmas explore

A christmas explore.

I went out the other night with my exploring partner. The only thing we had in mind was a church which we weren't even sure was still around. Ends up we picked the night with the most fog. Not that i mind fog but it makes it hard to find anything.

We almost missed the church - hidden away in the fog there it stood. Not a bad find but totally gutted and destroyed. Next we continued on and found a few interesting farmhouses along with an old town hall. The town hall hall was the most interesting by far because it was decorated with christmas items as well it had a tree all set up and decorated. Clearly abandoned for years this place was virtually untouched. The middle of nowhere not one window smashed, not one dish broken into pieces the place was amazing. Besides some foundation problems this place could probably be used again.

It was great to find the christmas stuff because this was our last trip exploring together until after christmas. So here are a few pictures from our trip, keep in mind as it was fairly cold we kept the dslr's in the vehicle and took the canon s3 around to locations with us.

echoes of music

Seems everywhere we go there are churches and in most churches there is either an organ or a piano or both! I have been to so many abandoned churches around this province i cant even count. I love finding abandoned pianos - something about the peeling keys or faded woods makes me very excited. I use to play the piano so i can usually sit down and play a tune or two.
Here are some of my favorite pictures.

twisted metal

This goes along with my industrial mayhem post. We returned to the mine and here are the pictures that i took. Since there was very little left i took an artsy abstract approach to things and took some interesting pictures of the mental piles left from the buildings being torn down.

on the roof

There is always a first for everyone and this was the first time being on the roof of a very high (active) building (20 stories!). I can say now that being that high watching the city at midnight is amazing and i will definately be doing this again. There isnt much in this province to urban explore but if you look hard enough (in the few cities we have) you will find something.

I probably would not have done this if some explorers from alberta weren't with us this weekend and suggested the idea of climbing the building. So thank you to them for pushing my envelope of exploring and letting me try something new! I definately loved it.

industrial mayhem

Just recently an abandoned industrial operation was abandoned was demolished - it had sat abandoned for many years. Nothing is left - not even the housing for the workers. I wish i would have known because i would have gone out to get more pictures with my new camera. I guess that is all part of the hobby - you never really know when a locations status can change.

In its memory i decided to post some of my favorite pictures from a few trips i took out there.

creatures of the day & night

When we are on trips there is no shortage of animals, anything from birds like owls or ducks to frogs and then of course small mammals deer or bunnies. Here are some of my favorite animals i enjoy taking pictures of.

little frog @ an abandoned church

big frog @ at abandoned church

wild bunny at an abandoned house

prairie dog

friendly dogs in the middle of nowhere

deer in a ghost town

cat in a ghost town

wild bunny in an abandoned house

pigeons in a mental hospital

dog in a ghost town