Search results for

"abandoned"

abandoned route 66 trading post

by Kaylah Stroup November 26, 2019

It’s blowing my mind that I still have photos from June’s roadtrip that I haven’t sorted or edited yet. We stopped so many places and saw so many things that trying to tackle the photos in one chunk, or even a couple, was just too overwhelming. Admittedly, five months is a really long time for me to sit on photos no matter how many there were. The upside is that its been a really fun way to relive the post and it satisfies a little bit of my travel urge. Jeff and I are currently trying to save for a house so I’m not quite sure when the next time we’ll be doing something like this will be. I mean, I never quite know since we’ve been known to plan trips like this in less than a week soooo…

We spotted this abandoned structure from the freeway not too long after getting into New Mexico. If you recall, we were driving from Phoenix, Arizona back home to Cleveland, OH. A thirty-hour drive – not including any stops! New Mexico and Arizona are neighboring states which means we had not been on the road too long at all. Although we were both excited to check out all sorts of things on the drive home, I guess I had thought maybe those stops would happen a little bit further into the thirty-hour drive to break up the time.

BUT the building looked too good to pass up even from a distance. We hopped off the freeway and went to go check it out. It was well worth the stop! Although fairly small, it had lots of different things that grabbed my attention. The safari wallpaper, the nearly completely collapsed ceiling, the murals on the exterior! It was fantastic.

Be sure to check out the video near the end of the post for a tour!

Perhaps just as exciting as stumbling upon this excellent stop by accident was realizing that it actually has some pretty cool history. The building that is standing here today was finished in the spring of 1954. Claude Bowlin, who owned and operated Bowlin’s Old Crater Trading Post, was not only a well-respected merchant but operated such a successful business that he expanded, opening five more stores along Route 66. Although he catered to a lot of tourists, he made it his mission to educate those passing through about local tribal cultures.

In 1973, the trading post suffered the same fate as many other buildings along Route 66 and was closed shortly after the interstate opened. The owner enjoyed a few years of retirement before passing away. His widow sold the property with a stipulation in the deed stating it only be used for religious purposes. That’s how in the 1980s & 90s this building was used as a bible school and church. In 2006 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Spots like this are my absolute favorite. I don’t know why or what the big draw is for me but waking up early in the morning, grabbing a coffee and stumbling upon gems like this with my favorite person in the world is my perfect day!

More posts from this trip;

Check out even more road trip posts under the ‘travel‘ tag.

abandoned diner

by Kaylah Stroup November 14, 2019

Last summer my pal Allie blogged about an abandoned diner she explored in Arizona. Check out her post here. She was road tripping around an area I’m fairly familiar with (She was actually in the area for my wedding!) so when I saw her post I was confused about how it was something Jeff and I had never been to over the years. A little further into the post and I realized we’d driven by it time and time again but always missed the exit. Had we known that there was an abandoned diner, we may have made it more of a priority but it was always like “Oh, what was that? Looked cool. We passed it though… maybe next year!”

Needless to say, after seeing her post, it was number one on our to-do list next time we were in the area! Although it was on the way home, it was something I looked forward to basically as soon as we set out on this roadtrip!

It did not disappoint!

I’m truly not sure what else to say about this place. It’s pretty straight forward, ya know? It was a diner and now it’s abandoned. This was my first restaurant of any sort so it was all new and fun for me. The two things I liked the most was the signage inside with prices and the booths, of course!

I’ve talked about this before but there are certain buildings that just kind of resonate with me more than others based on previous experiences. For example, I’ve never worked in a factory so abandoned factory, while big and exciting, doesn’t give me the same feeling as an abandoned school – somewhere I spent many years. Of course, it’s not the same school I went to but it’s very easy to see the similarities between the schools you grew up going to and basically any other school.

All that to say, it’s easy to picture myself sitting here. I’ve eaten in enough diners, a lot of which don’t look too much better. It’s a funny feeling to walk into a place like this and so easily be able to imagine the patrons and folks who worked there.

More posts from this trip;

Check out even more road trip posts under the ‘travel‘ tag.

Until next time, Arizona!

abandoned Fort Courage, AZ

by Kaylah Stroup October 8, 2019

Throwing it back to June’s massive road trip again today. Check out the bottom of this post for links to previous posts.

After relaxing at The Wigwam (aka heaven on earth!) Jeff and I started our long drive home from Arizona. Just over 2,000 miles. 30 hours without factoring in any stops! Our friend, Jake, who we had taken the first half of the trip with had a business trip that he’d be flying off to from Phoenix so it was just the two of us heading back to Ohio.

The idea of that drive home seemed a bit daunting but I was excited to cover some new ground. If you haven’t gathered the fact that the journey is just as/ if not more important than the destination to us then uh, you must be new here! Hello! Nice to meet you!

The first eleven or so hours would all be fairly familiar territory. The route is one we’ve driven a handful of times but that’s totally cool by me because we always seem to find a new place or two to stop each time.

Like this place! This is a spot that has caught my attention every single time we’ve driven past it but we were always too late to get off at the exit. The first time we drove by it, it caught my attention but I don’t think I fully realized it was abandoned. It just looked like another huge business off the highway, probably selling dusty old trinkets. The next year, when we went by it again, I knew it was abandoned but of course, we didn’t have time to get off at the exit.

This year though? It was a priority. I had a pretty good idea of what we’d be getting into and I was determined to actually make it there. I marked it on the map and let Jeff know far in advance where the exit was.

Fort Courage was far beyond my expectations!

Fort Courage was built in the 1970’s to replicate the fort from the TV show “F-Troop”. Reviews left on their page reveal that they really didn’t have very much in way of F-Troop merchandise (probably because they weren’t officially affiliated!) But thanks to the sales of miscellaneous travel souvenirs and the ever needed snack, they managed to stay in business for quite a while.

On the property, there was a gas station, large gift shop, Pancake House (dude, it was awesome. I have photos for another day!) and a whole bunch of buildings that would later become apartments.

We were unable to get into all of the buildings but still had a heck of a fun time wandering around what was open. Approaching the buildings behind the main gift shop, I wasn’t sure what to expect. At the time I didn’t know that those were abandoned apartments. It didn’t take long to figure it out though. They were packed full of things. It’s like one day everyone just up and left!

More posts from this trip;

Check out even more road trip posts under the ‘travel‘ tag & more ghost towns here.

Fort Courage is for sale! $995,000. 57 acres and boasts “no competition on an 8 mile radius” Buy it and be just a short trip from me over at Two Guns!

road tripping – abandoned gas station

by Kaylah Stroup July 16, 2019

I’ve definitely talked about this before *ahem* but my goodness, I LOVE exploring abandoned places out west. I mean, I love abandoned places wherever. There is just something really really special about the ones you just happen to stumble upon while cruising down the road far, far away from home. It’s a huge part of what we enjoy so much about driving aimlessly around the western portion of the US and what brings us back year after year.

The first abandoned spot we stumbled upon on our big cross country road trip this summer was this gas station and trailer combo! We spotted the gas station from the highway and immediately got off at the next exit to explore.

old sign at an abandoned gas station — *I mean, how can you resist an old gas station sign like this?!*

Since it seemed like a chill spot (aka the likelihood of someone already being there or coming to bug us seemed low) the three of us went our separate ways to wander. I shot some exterior photos of the gas station first. It looked fairly closed up from the front with both of the windows as well as the door barred but around the back, it was wide open. Papers littered the floors and countertops inside. Invoices, deposit slips, receipts, paper signage meant for the employees and so much more scattered about!

The trailer, on the other hand, was pretty empty. Basically just a shell of a home. Nothing particularly exceptional but still a super fun explore nonetheless.

I will note that I was impressed by the mirrors above the bathtub though.

*SO many more abandoned boats out west compared to Ohio.*

boat outside of an abandoned gas station

Other posts from this trip –

Check out even more road trip posts under the ‘travel‘ tag.

Polaroid Originals OneStep2 of an abandoned gas station

taken with the Polaroid Originals OneStep 2.

the abandoned Anasazi Inn

by Kaylah Stroup June 27, 2019

Pink abandoned motel on Hwy 89 in Arizona

I’m going to be sharing some of posts from our most recent road trip a bit out of order. This stop was about midway through the trip but it was very very special and I could hardly wait to get home, edit my photos and write it all down.

Making our way through Arizona, I started to recognize some scenery when it occurred to me that we were here with my family last year. Two days before my wedding four carloads full of family made their way to the Grand Canyon. It was so much fun to visit such an incredible place together but honestly, my favorite part of the day was checking out abandoned spots on the way back to Flagstaff.

I don’t know who spotted it first but it ended up that all four carloads of folks slammed on their brakes and quickly turned left into the parking lot of this bright pink motel. Eighteen of us in total poked around the property. At the time it was pretty sealed up. Windows were boarded, not broken, and all the doors still locked. Still, it was a great photo opportunity and a fun experience.

Polaroid OneStep2 & found room key at abandoned motel

We were a couple miles away when I realized that we were heading in the right direction to make another stop at the motel. I wasn’t expecting too much since it was so sealed on our first visit but I was excited just to shoot the exterior again. Who can resist that Wes Anderson pink?!

I was shocked to see how much damage the property had sustained in such a short amount of time. Just over one year had passed and it was pretty well destroyed. Windows were busted. One room was even completely full of trash bags as someone had clearly been dumping on the property. We got to see so much more of the motel this time around because vandals had done such a number on it.

To the right of the main section of the motel is an old gas station and some huge tanks. We were wandering around the tanks that are covered in graffiti, stickers, and tags when Jake pointed out a funny sticker. ‘Fart Bugs’ I don’t know what it means but it made us all laugh. I bent down to take a photo, looked through my viewfinder and that’s when I spotted it…

“Carolyn 2018”

Y’all. That’s my mom. Literally, she wrote that.

I screeched “Jeff! Did you give my mom a marker when we were here?!” Tears streamed down my face. Suddenly it all came rushing back to me. I could see her writing it. A moment nearly completely forgotten but clear as day now. I wasn’t looking for her but she presented herself. I sobbed. Took about four million photos and thanked all my lucky stars no one had covered it up yet.

After this, there wasn’t a single moment that could top it. Anytime Jeff would ask “what’s been your favorite part of the trip so far?” my answer was “finding my mom.”

The motel is in three main chunks. The first time, with my family, we only explored one section. This visit we wandered through an empty lot to the second. It was a lot less damaged. Windows still intact, doors locked. Still, we walked the perimeter searching for photos to take.

The third section has a pool. I didn’t know this until I was lurking the property on Google Earth. Guess I need to go back…

Behind one of the last rows of rooms we walked around I found a crisp five dollar bill sticking out of a pile of trash the wind had whipped up. Thanks, mom.

I hope to get back someday and explore the area a little further. I really wanna see the pool. Who knows, maybe we’ll end up there on accident again in another couple years. xoxo

Polaroid OneStep2 — *photo on the left is a recreation of a* *photo we took in 2018. same spot, same chair, same poses.*

Check out my ‘travel‘ tag for roadtrip posts from the past!

Instant photos taken with the Polaroid Originals OneStep 2. Here’s my review on it from last summer.

old abandoned catholic school

by Kaylah Stroup June 6, 2019

So, forget all the other abandoned buildings I’ve ever posted about here. This has to be my new favorite. Before you even see the photos let me explain why it automatically get some points toward the rank of ‘favorite.’

Friday night Jake, Jeff and I got ice cream at our favorite spot (Mason’s Creamery, of course!) We sat and discussed options on what to do the next morning. We could stay in Cleveland and try to find something to get into here or choose a city within a couple hour’s drive and poke around somewhere new. The three of us all agreed that going somewhere new-ish would be a blast. We could wander around on foot, get a good lunch, and just enjoy being somewhere we weren’t familiar with.

It was late when we got home from ice cream and we were planning to leave super early in the morning so there wasn’t really time to do much research on abandoned buildings in the area. Jeff quickly hopped on Google Earth, spotted a run down looking building, and marked it on his map. No further research, just an idea of something we could cruise by.

We arrived fairly early in the morning. The neighborhood was quiet still so we decided to get out of the car and wander around the perimeter. From the front, this magnificent old school looked sealed up. Windows appeared to be freshly boarded up. The back of the building? Not so sealed. Quite the opposite actually. Jeff scurried his way up the rubble to peek inside. His face LIT UP! Right inside the back was a huge auditorium.

We took turns climbing the rickety ladder placed by previous visitors to enter the school. The second you got inside this grand auditorium greeted you. Destroyed yet absolutely beautiful. It was breathtaking.

Obviously, I was impressed but nothing will beat the excitement of peeking into a small room to my right and spotting a row of chairs and mirrors where folks got ready for the school plays. It was so clearly and obviously a dressing room. I was whisper screaming to Jake and Jeff. “OH MY GOSH. LOOOOK! MIRRORS!! COME ON”

I mean, the auditorium was beautiful. Perhaps the largest and most grand I’ve ever explored but I’ve been in auditoriums before. I have never seen anything like this room. Something about it just really got to me. I honestly can’t explain it any further than that. I still get a little rush of adrenaline thinking about spotting it for the first time.

(I posted a little video clip of me walking into this room on my Instagram.)

The building just kept going. There were classrooms upon classrooms. Each painted a different bright color which was now chipping so beautifully. I feel like I was on such a high from even getting into the building, let alone finding that cool dressing room, that I couldn’t truly appreciate the other rooms. They’re all a blur to me and on top of that, I know we didn’t see them all.

Getting spots I’ve already seen photos of is fun. I’m not one of those people that doesn’t explore spots that are already popular but nothing beats someone in your group discovering a new building. Obviously, we weren’t the first folks inside but none of this building was familiar to me. I’d never seen a single shot from this place. It was brand new to the three of us. More than that, I had no idea we’d be getting inside anything that day. Of course, it’s what we all wanted to do but exploring in cities you aren’t familiar with can be really hard. We lucked out!

I still can’t believe what an awesome find this was and that it was right under our noses the whole time. Here’s to finding more gems! xoxo

For a better idea of how incredible this spot was, check out Jeff’s video!

Use the ‘abandoned‘ tag to view more posts on forgotten buildings across the US. Also, be sure to check out my husband’s book – Abandoned Cleveland.

exploring an abandoned house

by Kaylah Stroup May 29, 2019

Early last month we woke up before the sun and headed out on a little adventure. The plan was to explore an abandoned church that we found out was accessible. We circled the neighborhood looking for the perfect place to park that wouldn’t look suspicious. After what felt like forever, we finally chose a spot and started the short walk to the church.

And that’s when the police officer passed us, slowed down, and pulled into the parking lot directly across the street. It was no coincidence. He knew what we were doing and we knew that. Instead of doing the obvious choice of immediately turning around and heading back to the car we decided to take a long stroll around the block.

On our walk, we found this house wide open and waiting for us to dip inside.

It was a quick explore. In and out in around fifteen minutes. I’ve talked about it before and I’m sure it’ll come up again but exploring houses is such a strange feeling. Why did these people just up and leave one day? I can see leaving behind big furniture but they didn’t need their clothes anymore? And the old family photos!?

Video version below! I really love this one. It’s short, straight to the point, and gosh darn, feels like you’re exploring the house too!

Use the ‘abandoned‘ tag to view more posts on forgotten buildings across the US. Also, be sure to check out my husband’s book – Abandoned Cleveland.

abandoned rubber factory 2019

by Kaylah Stroup May 2, 2019

Two years ago I explored this massive abandoned complex for the first time. Not too much has changed since then which is rather shocking considering how quickly some places become unrecognizable. I guess when the property is mostly ruins to begin with, decay is less noticable.

This rubber factory complex closed nearly thirty years ago. Multiple buildings still stand but a vast majority have been demolished, at least their upper levels have been. The property is littered with holes, both large and small, giving you a peek as to what’s down below. Definitely a place you have to watch your step, lest you end up breaking an ankle or worse!

The buildings are mostly empty. A pile of tires here, a burnt couch there. Few traces of its original purpose are to be found. Of course, in true massive abandoned factory form, there are piles and piles of invoices, checks, and other files containing personal information that definitely should have been properly disposed of laying around.

If you’d like to see more, Jeff has a video!

Use the ‘abandoned‘ tag to view more posts on forgotten buildings across the US. (Here’s 2017’s visit to this same factory!)
Lastly, be sure to check out my husband’s book – Abandoned Cleveland.

abandoned china factory 2019

by Kaylah Stroup April 10, 2019

Two years ago I explored this factory for the first time. Unlike the majority of the other factories (and abandoned buildings in general) I’ve been in, this one is still full of items that show nearly every step of how its products were made. Despite the fact there was an auction to clear out remaining inventory after the factory closed, there is still tons to see. Between all of the remaining buildings on the property there are molds, decals, silkscreens, blank dishes, finished products, kilns, and more. All that stuff combined puts this place in my all time top ten favorite abandoned spots.

(Other favorites include – the abandoned trailer park, the ghost town I got engaged in, the masonic hall, the Knox County Poorhouse & of course, Two Guns!

Not too much has changed since my previous visit. Surprisingly, the majority of plates and mugs were still intact. Stacks upon stacks of plates covered in a thick layer of dust. Untouched!

stacks of plates in an abandoned factory

a massive pile of broken mugs in an abandoned factory

There was apparently a fire on the upper level on the main building. It made quite a mess but failed to destroy all the paperwork. I spotted invoices, checks, and accounting paperwork detailing how much had been spent on advertising.

See ya in another couple years, china factory! xoxo

PS. If you’d like to see more, Jeff has a video!

Newer Posts

Older Posts