Morgantown Powerplant, MD

On Saturday, we met with our local exploring group and took a supervised trip around Morgan Powerplant. We weren't allowed cameras inside the building so we grabbed a few shots before we entered the grounds. This power station is run primarily by coal on 2 generators as this is the U.S.'s most abundant and cheapest fuel, even though most of it comes from Columbia because most of WV coal is exported to China. It also has 6 generators that run on diesel oil if needed, but these are only used in emergencies as this fuel isn't so efficient. It was built in 1970-73 and although it has a full time crew of 190 people, only 10 are needed to actually run it.

 

  

 The red and white stacks are the diesel stacks and the large white dual stack is the one run by coal and operates continuously, (see photos lower down). The plant likes to keep about 30 days of coal in reserve but on the day of our visit, they only had 3 days of fuel left, and considered themselves to be in a state of emergency. This is due to the bad snow storm and the plant unable to receive coal by rail which it does on a daily basis. There were 18 trees per mile on the rail tracks during the storm. The coal is pulverized to a dust to create continuous explosions providing maximum efficiency. Inside there is a film of black dust everywhere, but because of the efficiency of the plant, people aren't required to spend too long on the operating floors, so we rarely saw the employees and those we saw did not wear masks, only hard hats, safety glasses and ear plugs, the same as us visitors.

 

These pipes take the coal from the river to the plant where it is crushed. They are enclosed so that none spills into the river. The plant makes a tremendous effort to be environmentally friendly and has reduces its dust particles by 99%, removes 98% of SO2 from the air (sulphur dioxide which creates acid rain), reduces carbon monoxide, has a new materials handling system, a new dual flue, a new waste water treatment system and a new desalination plant, all of this control equipment costing around $1.6 billion.

  

 

We were allowed up on the roof which offered fabulous views and we sneaked a few shots. The surrounding area around the plant looked spotless and well maintained and it was evident that our guides were proud to show off their power station.

The tour was excellent but it was almost painful not being allowed to take photos inside the building. We are so used to seeing rusting industrial equipment with peeling paint, cracked dials and seized levers, and then to see all this equipment running with the dials working, it was torture not to be able to record it. Regardless, I avoided the temptation, kept my iPhone in my pocket, and just absorbed the atmosphere and energy.

Once we left the site, we then went to a local bar and crab house on the water to have lunch.

 Mark did a great job of annihilating the crackers before our food turned up! Once our appetites were sated, we went back outside and explored a small abandoned power plant building.

 

Everybody's tripods came out and the place quietened while we set up our cameras that we'd been itching to use all morning. 

There was also a pretty beach area covered with oyster shells and driftwood.

 

Emily missed this dead gull, but because I am aware of her obsession with photographing any dead animal that she finds, I kindly set about grabbing a few shots that I could pass on to her and maybe dedicate to her on Flickr!

I managed to get this awesome character shot of Barb astride a hilltop as the afternoon faded. When the sun started dropping to the horizon, we regrouped for farewells and promises to meet again soon, and then headed in different directions to faraway homes and computers waiting for downloads.

Veterans Medical Center, MD

 

A small group of us went to a Maryland hospital in the hope of meeting the guard who maintains it and asking him for a tour. We found the place empty so strolled right in. The place is enormous and we focused on the main hospital area used during WWII.

These were Army officer’s homes in the early 1900s, when the place was an Army fort. There are other old, unused World War One Era Army buildings there in various states of decay. There are 37 historic buildings on the VA portion of the site, built between 1898 and 1943.

This old lighthouse just off land had a door open. Very tempting if the water hadn't been so cold.

 

We entered the main hospital building and found a large computer room downstairs in the basement complete with computers still turned on which was a little unnerving. I found this handbook; who can remember MS-DOS?

 

Much of the medical and lab equipment was still in place along with rehab areas for the war vets. This interesting article is from a vet who once stayed here.

  We also found the pathology lab with equipment intact. The only people who seemed to have been here other than fellow explorers were the scrappers. Apart from their mess, and natural decay, there had been little vandalism.

 

I enjoyed playing around with this mirror on the ceiling and my camera. The place was deathly quiet and we took care not to disturb the silence.

 

  

Much of the building is still intact but the natural elements are starting to take a hold and there were areas with capsized corridors and leaking roofs. 

 What is an abandonment without a chalkboard? Of course, we signed it.

This huge bath and spa was used for rehabilition. 

Many local veterans had hoped to see this area conserved and reused as a retirement area for them. Walter Pasciak, 84, was so eager to move to a proposed $180 million waterfront retirement community for veterans in eastern Baltimore County that he paid $5,000 to be given "priority consideration" on the waiting list. "The location is great, and all the facilities would have been there," said Pasciak, a World War II veteran. Now he doesn't know whether he'll see the money again. In August 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs terminated its contract with Federal Development LLC, a Washington-based company that had been selected to redevelop Fort Howard Hospital and other buildings at the one-time Army base on the North Point peninsula. 

There is a 'Bayside' sign at the entrance and I found this site on line, but there is no evidence of building work starting. We shall return to check out the other buildings before they may be razed to the ground.

Exploring Locally

Today, Jeff, Barb and I checked out an old building here in Centreville. Having driven past it for about 2 years, I knew it was abandoned and had been reading a thread on line which is hilarious. It had once been a film developing and storage company and before that The Broadmoor Motel. I had always been curious about what was left of the place and wanted to scope it out.  We had to cross snow that was still over a foot deep  which made traversing the field a great workout.

 

The old motel sign is still on top of the building.

 Peering through the windows, we could see old computers and film processing machines. We weren't able to access any of the buildings so contented ourselves with just looking through the glass and walking around.

 

Around the back of the building were some old trailers which were used as storage. One was wide open with boxes of film stacked inside.

 

This looked like it was a cutting/editing room.

I got a couple of interesting shots using this mirror and a completely unaware Barb. We completed our investigations and racked this one up to be the shortest exploration ever. I was satisfied though that I'd checked the place out and could now drive by without wondering every time what was back there.

Exploring with my Boyfriend?

On Saturday, I met up with Emily and Mukul and introduced them to my new man, Steve. I've known Steve as a neighbor for a while, but we met in the pub on Superbowl night, and have been in sync ever since. He was intrigued to experience himself my favorite hobby, and I was delighted to have him along.
Since the snow had thwarted any outdoor explorations, we headed for a previous haunt in Baltimore, the brewery. Access was denied to us for a while as we skirted the building looking for a way in. Eventually, the boys hauled themselves up a wall and, lo and behold, discovered a ladder inside, which Emily and I used to make a more graceful entrance.

 

I used a long exposure and a gel flashlight for this. Steve was a superstar lighting the way as I fiddled with my camera in the near blackness.

We saw these light bulbs and he mentioned about them looking like the eggs in the movie, 'Aliens', so I hunted for a critter on the internet and came up with this fantasy image.

 

This was the dreaded room in which Emily and I were trapped on our last visit. I've drawn the path we took that finally led us out on to the roof and to freedom. Nobody wanted to cross the floor this time and we had the door held open with a large brick to ensure egress.

This room was very dark and we managed to spook ourselves by thinking we heard footsteps and voices. After skulking around quietly for an eternity and taking photos, someone made a loud noise and either scared off the other visitors or quelled our imaginations as we heard no more sounds after that.

 

I think Mukul made these footprints in the snow as he had gone before the rest of us, but I loved the way they 'walked' with the stray cat prints.

 This was a hallway with large stainless steel fermentation tanks on either side which were still spotlessly clean. Mukul climbed inside one of them while me and Emily contented ourselves with some more gel shots.
A large part of the brewery was now inaccessible due to padlocks so after about 3 hours we left in search of food and beer.

 

We passed this cool retro sign in Camden and then warmed up in the pub with hot food while checking our photos. I was really impressed that Steve had stuck with us and enjoyed the trip. He is keen to explore further and even develop his photographic talent which he had already cultivated on this trip. How awesome to have my guy into urbexing! Roll on next adventure!

 

Snowmageddon

 

We have officially had more snow in our area than recorded in written history, about 3ft in our community, and I have to say, even as a sincere snow lover, even I'm starting to tire of it now. I'm fed up of wearing flat safe boots all the time, I want to wear my heels and lighter clothing. The trees out the front were filled with robins. They should have been round the back where I'd put out food.

Last Saturday, I resignedly went out to try and dig up Stuart about lunchtime. It was really hard work and I was more than pleased when Jeff turned up so I had someone to chat to. After a while, more friends and neighbors emerged from their cozy condos to salvage their vehicles and the atmosphere lightened to party mode.

Jeff, leann and the woofer getting stuck in to try and unearth another vehicle.

 

Jackie and Stuart. Jackie and Paulie had already dug out their cars earlier in the days, so decided they would encourage our efforts and support us by bringing out their chairs and beers. Paulie even had the audacity to complain about carbon monoxide poisoning from Jeff's car. I joined them once I'd been digging for a couple of hours and together we egged the others on with their shoveling.

 I'm not sure whether this shovelful of snow was intended for me, but it made a superb photo as it flashed past!

 

I couldn't believe this complete and utter plonker using a hose and hot water to clear his vehicle. Not really bothered about the run off icing up on the neighbors down the hill then?

Jeff and I drove out afterwards to try and catch some images before the sun went down. It was starting to get cold so we didn't want to be out for long. We were standing on the side of the road when this fleet of snow ploughs went by.

 

This was getting a little close for comfort, but was fun! Jeff doesn't look too perturbed farther down the road.

I couldn't believe that some of these gooses were actually sleeping with their feet in the water.

 

It was worth the cold to capture this pretty scene by the side of the road. 

We snapped a few more shots and then had to head back to the warmth of the car. We hadn't even been out for an hour and our feet were freezing and hurting. I love the snow, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing some spring flowers soon!