Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Let's Get Outta' Here (Part One)

On the brink of an international trip, but with over a week to spare and the need for adventure taking over as always, I had to make a move. 

With the desire to stay out of trouble before flying overseas, I contacted a few individuals from different cities around the Midwest to check on their availabilities, and quickly attempted to organize some type of plan. I don't think this was exactly what I had first had in mind, but it worked out perfectly.

The trip went as follows: 

Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinnati, Dayton, Louisville, Nashville, Dayton, Indianapolis, Columbus, and back again to Cleveland.

Let's begin.


As soon as I had confirmation, I quickly loaded up my car. My good friend Brice was already up in Cleveland for the weekend, so I quickly joined forces with him. After a quick slay-sesh at Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park, him and I were Dayton bound.


We arrived in the Dayton area, grabbed some food (the dude MIGHT eat as much as me!), and wasted no time heading out and about. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and the night ended up a-ok!

We awoke early the next morning, and quickly made our way into the Cincinnati area. My long-time friend Shelby teamed up with us for an early-afternoon adventure, leading us to a park containing an old, abandoned railroad trestle. Just our cup of tea!


After the best mac & cheese we've ever had, we parted ways, and Brice and I returned to Dayton for the evening.

The next morning we set out for Louisville, making a brief stop in La Grange, Kentucky on the way. Downtown La Grange is a small town, but unique in the fact that it sees railroad traffic running smack dab down the middle of it's main street. We figured we'd check it out.


We arrived in Louisville closer to sundown and were both exhausted from the fast-paced couple of days that we had already had. My close friend Patty recommended a must-have taco spot, and being Tuesday, it only seemed fitting.


Neither Brice nor I had any solid connections in Louisville for a place to crash, so we began to hunt for a campsite after finishing up our late night snack. I had originally prepared to camp throughout the duration of the trip anyways, so we were more than prepared.

We drove around for a short while looking for a secluded area to set up shop, and settled in the back corner of a parking lot by a marina. Brice was going to sleep in the back of his car, so all I requested was a few trees to hang my hammock between.

I wandered around a bit, but being surrounded by a park and a few sets of condos, I failed to find any suitable trees in a discrete enough area.

It suddenly came to me. This thing. Sitting directly in front of me and desserted, calling my name. Welcome home for the night, Jason.


What a find. Seriously.
There was already a piece of perfectly-sized carpet at the bottom waiting for me. I have no idea who it belonged to, but it wasn't plated, and didn't feel to be leaving anytime soon. Welcome home.


(To be continued...)

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Another Night Found

Another night lost. Another night found.
Another simple view, from high above the ground.
 

No villains here, no superheros to save.
Just one little roof, another book in the page.


Into the entrance, a lack of curious eyes.
No one seems to notice, no one asking us "why?"



Up through the stairwell, through the window with ease.
Simpler than traveling anywhere. I don't even need keys.


It's not a difficult journey, only a few flights of stairs.
But with photos now as trophies, the whole world seems to care. 


 What we do isn't hard, we never claimed that it was.
The friends that I have, have always done it just because.


 Often out of boredom, we all seek that adventure.
It's the way we all bond; how we spend time together.



 Personally a decade strong, exploring is nothing new.
 But this trend called "roof topping," we hope it all ends soon.


We're tired of the media. We're tired of the press.
We're tired of people thinking that "Instagram means success."


 You're ruining the sport quickly. You're ruining the fun of the hobby.
Don't tell people you "climb," when you take stairs from the hotel lobby.


Do it for yourselves. Do it with your friends.
But make sure those who join you, will be there in the end.


- Jason Unoriginal

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Feel The Heat

Of all of the bridges I've ever scaled, this one has to go down as being the most unique. But it isn't the bridge itself that makes it such an uncommon experience, because, well, it's just another lift bridge over the Cuyahoga. What makes this bridge so different is the landscape below it.

Without technically naming this structure's location, most Clevelanders will immediately be able to announce what region of the city we are looking at.


The industry that occurs beneath, both day-in and day-out, is mesmerizing to me. It is a 24-hour process with some of the most heavy-duty bells and whistles that I've ever witnessed. 
It feels somewhat like a life-sized version of the game Mouse Trap.


While bridges typically seem intricate in their own ways, this mass seems to echo simplistic thoughts into the night's sky, when compared to it's surroundings. Symmetrical vibes among such chaos.





...but it doesn't stop there.

While perched high above, we were able to witness one of the most spellbinding operations, that often goes unseen.

The orange, fiery glow. The churning locomotive. The intense heat spiraling upwards.
The sensations come alive as freight cars, containing molten metal, pass below. It is, altogether, quite an intense experience.



And off into the distance they go.


- Jason Unoriginal

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Dr. Chambless

 The story goes as usual...

"Welcome. Please proceed to the receptionist desk, located upstairs, and around the corner."





We wandered through a never-ending maze, finally locating the desk.



"Hi, how may we assist you today?"



...yeah, I'm here to see Dr. Chambless for an appointment.


"...please proceed down the hall and into the second room on the left, where the doctor will see you."


Nope, not this one.
 


Ah, a room with a view. Nice!
 


We waited and waited. But no one ever came.





Doc?


But no one ever came.

- Jason Unoriginal

Sunday, November 8, 2015

For the (Jail) Birds: The Return

Well... sorry about that!

There's something about the warm weather and lasting summer sunlight that makes it oddly difficult for me to sit complacent behind a computer desk. Although I wouldn't look back and describe this summer as overly adventurous, I still never found myself sitting still. I need to be out and about, I need to be surrounded by others, and I constantly need to be discovering something new. So no, I suppose I do not truly apologize for my absence, but I feel like such a delay requires at least some sort of an explanation.

...and in case you're confused, there has been nearly a three-month gap since my last blog.
Shall we continue?

----------------------------------------------

During a recent trip up to Michigan, myself, Erin, and Brandon ended up having a short stay in jail; the last place any explorer would ever want to be found.

...unless the prison is abandoned, of course!





And we're in...


We checked out some of the newer buildings first, which were constructed during the second half of the 20th century. These buildings were used as correctional facilities, housing only women.





We headed back outside and over to one of the original maximum security facilities, in search of the gold mine.




An intimidating entrance way, an interesting idea board, and some original workout equipment, but still not quite what we were looking for:




We made our departure yet again and proceeded into one of the rear yards, in search of another way in.



Bingo, bingo, and more bingo.







I cannot even begin to fathom the stories that are held inside of these walls, and the secrets that have been laid to rest. 

As the sun began to fade quickly, we planned our jailbreak and made our final escape.



Don't look back now...



- Jason Unoriginal