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the abandoned pennsylvania turnpike

by Kaylah Stroup October 9, 2014

Last weekend a group of friends and I took a mini roadtrip to the abandoned Pennsylvania turnpike. It’s a thirteen mile stretch of the PA turnpike that was bypassed when a modern stretch opened in 1968 to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. It’s now an unofficial bike trail that you can bike at your own risk.

Since the road is rough, I opted not to take my beloved fixed gear bicycle with it’s skinny little tires. Instead I rode my old cruiser (remember her?) which I’m not sure if it was really for the best. I found the ride to be fairly challenging. I would just blame that on me being out of shape but I bike nearly everyday. The hills and not being used to riding a single speed cruiser killed me.

Rough ride aside, it was an awesome trip, and I had a TON of fun. There was lots of graffiti and abandoned maintenance rooms for the tunnels. The buildings were pretty empty except for giant turbines used to pull all the bad air out of the tunnels.

The ride back to the car was cold. The sun was setting quickly and the temperature was dropping rapidly. The tunnel closest to the car, which is also luckily the shortest, had the craziest freezing cold breeze blowing through it the second time through. I just closed my eyes since the wind was just making them water and pedaled as hard as I could (which at the end of the day wasn’t all that hard at all!) Maybe coming this late in the season wasn’t the best idea, or maybe we all just were a bit under-dressed but it sure was beautiful. We could not have picked a more beautiful time to come. The leaves were absolutely gorgeous.

So basically this trip contained three of my favorites things; bikes, abandoned structures, and nature! As hard of a time as I had biking some parts, I’m really looking forward to going back and doing it again next year.
xoxo

Victoreen Instrument Company // Part Two

by Kaylah Stroup October 7, 2014

Today I have more photos from Victoreen Instrument Company to share. I posted part one of these photos a few months back and this second installment accidentally got buried in my drafts. Since it’s been a while, here’s a quick recap on the building; Victoreen manufactured radiation meters. They provided much of the radiation equipment for the Manhattan Project (think atomic bombs, if you’re not familiar).
The building was built in 1926. Victoreen left in 1978 and the factory
was bought by another company for $1. The property was transferred a few
more times before the final sale in 2009. One would assume the building
was probably used but not properly cared for a little while before
eventually falling into disrepair.

And of course, this building became an instant favorite after finding a piece of graffiti from one of my favorites! (See more Think pieces here, here, here, + here!)

xoxo

found on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup October 6, 2014

Well, I have set a new standard for myself with these found on the beach sets. As someone who organizes just about everything by color – my closet, my DVDs, etc – it’s kind of shocking to me I never thought to do this before. I’m obsessed with how it looks. It was so hard to choose what photos to share because I took so many. I had so much fun sorting everything out by color. (Are you a sorter? I love sorting things, I always have!) Seeing the little piles of colors made me want to do something bigger than just organizing sets on the beach. I’ve got a ton of ideas swirling around in my mind…

Quick FAQ – things that get asked every Found on the Beach post.
Do you keep the things you pick up? No way. Once in a while I’ll keep something I really think is neat but I’m no hoarder.
What do you do with it when you’re done? I toss it in the trash where it belongs.
Was this really all from the beach in one day? For the
most part, yes. Sometimes if I find something I really think is neat on a
day I’m not collecting for a photo I’ll pick it up and hang on to it
until the next time I want to put together one of these.
Do you wear gloves? No, I don’t. These are things that were washed up on the shore, not things simply left behind. They’re no dirtier than the sand or water.

xoxo

living room tour // round two

by Kaylah Stroup October 2, 2014

I’ve been living in my cute little apartment for nearly eight months now. The living room was the first room I finished decorating, and shortly after I shared photos on the blog. I had thought it changed a lot since then but upon looking back, I guess not. It’s officially home now, and somehow that makes it feel like it looks different to me.

I think the biggest change since the first time I shared photos of the room might actually be a small one, the TV. A few people even mentioned in the original post how neat they thought was I didn’t have a television in my living room. When I moved in I figured the best place for my TV was my bedroom so I could watch Netflix in bed, which I definitely do every night! I rather like falling asleep to noise. But I missed sitting on the couch and watching TV. It’s not that I missed certain shows but I missed the routine of folding laundry and watching TV, or curling up on my couch to watch a movie. With winter coming, I will inevitably be spending more time indoors so I’m happy to have finally added the final thing the room seemed to be missing.
xoxo

source list //
pillow
globe mirrors
record player
couch
Ice cream lamp, globe lamp, map, butterfly wall hanging, hutch, coffee table, cat statue, and invisible man are vintage. Old wedding photos rescued from the trash. Insect pillow is from Target. Blue pillow is from Ikea.

abandoned cement factory

by Kaylah Stroup October 1, 2014

Jesi, and I discovered this incredible abandoned cement factory on our last adventure together. We were in an area we didn’t really know very well so while we chowed down on lunch we decided to quickly look around online to see if there was anywhere we could find nearby. We found photos of this place but couldn’t find an address so with nothing better to do decided just to drive and hope for the best. Fifteen minutes later we spotted it off in the distance. Guess some things are just meant to be!

The first unit of this plant was built in 1924. It produced 2,500 barrels of cement per day. After another year another unit was built and production doubled. In 1955 the company announced it’s plan to expand yet again, this time to be able to produce 11,000 barrels per day. During the 1960’s this factory was the largest in the state and employed many of the residents of the surrounding area.

In 1973 the plant’s parent company decided to sell in an effort to get rid of all non-essential businesses. It was all down hill from here. The plant went through a handful of new owners in quick succession. In the 80’s there were strikes, and eventually in 1993 the company declared bankruptcy and closed down. A few years passed and the EPA stepped in to clean up the area. A great majority of the buildings on the property were demolished.

Since then what’s remaining has been left to rot. Most recently the building has been used by local military and police for training purposes. Much of the land around the plant has been declared off-limits by the EPA after large sinkholes began to develop.

It’s actually pretty crazy to think that so many buildings on the property were demolished. This is easily one of the largest places I have ever explored. It is MASSIVE. Jesi, and I barely made a dent on the place before declaring we were both too hot, and tired to do anything else here.

Although it was almost completely cleared out inside with nearly everything gone, it was still a super interesting building. One of my favorite parts was all the “no spitting’ signs painted on the walls. There were a handful of them throughout the building, particularly near stairwells. It’s kind of hilarious to me that it was such an issue they had to do that.

The second floor was covered in stalactites, and stalagmites. I was particularly interested in the stalagmites covering the floor. They had such a strange appearance. They looked fluffy, almost like shaving cream or something of a similar consistency.

Beautiful view from one of the upper levels.

I’d like to get back here sometime in the near future and finish checking out the area. There was so much we didn’t get to see!
xoxo

7 tips for maintaining bright hair color

by Kaylah Stroup September 30, 2014

For eleven straight I’ve been dyeing my hair unnatural colors. During this time I’ve written numerous hair related posts including how to bleach your hair, two tips for switching colors, and my must have hair products. Today I’ll be sharing how to maintain your color. All of the hair dyes you would use to dye your hair a funky color are semi-permanent and fade no matter what. In my outfit posts you can see my hair color is never the same more than once, even daily my hair color changes due to rinsing. Fading is inevitable but here are seven easy tips to help make your color last.

1 // Good color starts with healthy hair. While bleaching your hair isn’t the best way to start, it is necessary to do in order to achieve a bright color. Unhealthy, damaged hair will not hold color well. You may make it from black hair to pink in a week by bleaching your hair twice a day but that pink won’t hold because your hair is in rough shape. Be patient with your journey from dark hair to colored hair. Make sure to nurture your hair. Hair masks and repair products are your best friends! (I shared a few of my favorites here!)

2 // After healthy hair, the next most important thing is a high-quality hair dye. I highly recommend Punky Colours and Special Effects. I’m sure there are other great dyes, but those are the two I always turn to despite trying many others. Since those brands do NOT damage your hair, it’s totally fine, and really highly recommended that you leave it in for much longer than the recommended time. The packaging usually says something “let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.” If you leave your hair dye in for 20 minutes that color is not going to last very long at all. I normally try to leave my hair color in for a minimum of three hours. The longer, the better! Since I always mix my dyes with equal parts conditioner my hair is also being nourished while I wait on the dye to set.

3// Rinse with cool water. This is actually my best tip. If you skip all other tips (please don’t, especially healthy hair!) this is the one to follow. Warm water opens the hair cuticle allowing the color to escape. I’m not saying you need to wash your hair with ice cold water, but in reality, the colder the better. I wash and rinse my hair in as cold of water as I can stand, toss it up in a towel then crank that water up for the rest of my shower.

Cold water also helps reduce bleeding if you have more than one color, otherwise your hair color will just turn into a mess similar to when you mix different colors of paint together.

While we’re on the subject of water, it should be noted that swimming in chlorinated water is awful for your hair color. (But hey, if you want to fade your hair, go for it! Check out this video I made for an idea of how badly pool water will affect your hair!) For good measures, just keep your hair dry as much as possible and avoid hot water!

4 // Avoid shampoos with sulfates and styling products with alcohol. Sulfates and alcohol-based products are two huuuuge things that will fade any hair color. Sulfate free shampoos can be kind of tricky to find sometimes, but they’re definitely worth switching to. I recommend Sparks Color Care Sulfate-Free Shampoo + Conditioner.

Even with sulfate free shampoo, you should still try to cut back on shampoo use. Shampoo strips your hair of its natural oils, as well as the color. If you’re lucky enough to not have super greasy hair (like me!) skip washing every other day and use a dry shampoo on your off days. My dry shampoo of choice is Aveda Shampure. (also on Amazon) It’s a little bit more expensive than others I’ve found and tried but easily the best!

When I shampoo I try to only apply it to the roots, where my hair is most likely to become greasy, and only avoid the ends of my hair since that’s what normally fades most quickly anyway.

5 // Mix some color into your conditioner. If you add hair dye to your conditioner you’ll be depositing a little bit of color every time you condition. This only applies if your hair is a solid color, or a mix of the same colors in different shades obviously. This is also a great idea because you’re able to leave conditioner in your hair for longer without running the risk of fading it. Healthier hair + brighter color = win/win!

Alternatively, you could try a color depositing conditioner! There are lots of new ones on the market these days. Keracolor comes in 13 different colors + has excellent reviews. My dye brand of choice, Punky Colours, also just came out with one! There are currently 11 different colors + it’s a few bucks cheaper.

6 // Avoid heat styling. If you must heat style (hey, I feel ya), use a protectant! This is my personal favorite, I’ve been using it for a while now. When I’m using my curling wand, and not just my blow dryer, I also add some argan oil to the tips which helps protect the color as well.

7 // Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Just like your skin, the sun isn’t necessarily good for your hair color. Try wearing a hat if you’ll be spending a long time in the sun. There are also UV protection sprays for your hair. I use Sparks Color Care Protecting Spray. Highly recommended!

Keep in mind that just choosing one of the above points isn’t going to save your hair color. If you’ve switched to a sultfate free shampoo but still wash your hair every day in hot water, the fact you’re using a sulfate free shampoo really doesn’t even matter anymore.

A combination of all of the above should help you maintain your hair color a bit longer than normal.

If you have any hair questions or are looking for more tips, check out my hair master post!
xoxo

7 tips for maintaining bright hair colors - The Dainty Squid

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3 reasons I love to bike

by Kaylah Stroup September 22, 2014

I learned to ride a bike when I was really young. Since we lived on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere and my mother rarely let me out of her sight, I basically only rode my bike around the yard as the child. I didn’t ride much as a teenager and I rode even less as an adult. In May I rediscovered my love of biking after my first ride around Cleveland on a borrowed bike. I immediately bought one of my own and haven’t looked back since. I can’t believe I wasted so much time not biking. Today is world car free day so I thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to share my top three reasons I love to bike and hopefully encourage at least a few folks to get back on the saddle.

My top three reasons I love to bike…

1 // It’s a new way to see your city. This is probably my favorite reason to ride a bike. I have seen so much more of Cleveland by getting on my bike and just setting off than I ever would have in a car. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been living in the same place your whole life, I guarantee if you start exploring it on your bike you’ll see things differently.

Something that I really enjoy about cycling is that I can basically stop where ever I want to soak up my surroundings or to shoot photos. In a car I have to worry about finding a parking spot (and dude, I hate parking!) On my bike I can just hop up on to the sidewalk and do whatever I please without worrying.

2 // It’s healthy. No, I’m not promoting it for weight loss because we all know that doesn’t happen when you’re biking to get pizza and ice cream all the time. Ahem. Biking makes you feel good. I am slowly but surely gaining muscle in my legs, and I can feel it in my stomach, back, and arms after a good ride. I feel strong when I ride. I am what’s powering my bike. I’m in control.

If I’m stressed, having a bad day, or just feeling plain lazy a bike ride will make me feel so much better. It seems counterproductive and it shouldn’t be the case at all but when I’m tired and I go on a bike ride I somehow end up feeling full of energy. It’s my absolute favorite stress-relief activity, even more than eating junk food, and that’s saying something!

3 // It’s fun! This is probably the first time in my life I have ever thought exercise was fun but it really, really is. Out of all the things I could have done for my birthday my first thought was “bike ride!” There are few times I can think of something more fun than biking.

Being on my bike is freeing. I suppose that sentence could also fit up there with my number two reason I love it since that is also a mental thing but feeling of freedom also fits into the “fun” category. I have never felt anything like the freedom I feel while zipping around on my bike.

More reasons to get on a bike…
+ Critical Mass. I don’t need to add anything else here except you have to participate in at least of these at some point. SO. MUCH. FUN.
+ What’s a traffic jam? Being able to beat traffic on your bike is absolutely one of the best feelings ever. As someone who is terrified, overwhelmed, and mystified by city traffic it blew my mind when I found how fun that traffic was on a bike. Game night traffic in Cleveland is my favorite to bike through.
+ Guaranteed front row parking, always. No need to waste time driving around looking for somewhere to park! You can always lock your bike up close to where ever you need to be.
+ You don’t have to purchase fuel (except aforementioned pizza!)
+ Fresh air always makes you feel better.
+ Biking gives you a sense of fellowship as well. Not every cyclist you meet will become your new best friend but it’s a similar thing to when people on motorcycles see each other. You’re immediately part of an awesome new club.

I know, I now seem like the cyclist version of a televangelist but I feel like so many adult forget how great biking is. You learn it when you’re young and then somewhere along the line you forget about it. I encourage you to take a ride around your neighborhood today. If you don’t own a bike, I’m sure someone you know will let you borrow theirs, and with the increased popularity of bike share programs you have no excuse to not give it a spin!
xoxo

My pretty pink bike, as well as my gold one, are both from . You can use code ‘kaylahs-sbc-15′ for 15% off if you decide to order anything from them. This post isn’t sponsored. If it wasn’t already apparent, I really am just super enthusiastic about my bike!

abandoned Rochester subway

by Kaylah Stroup September 16, 2014

Last week Jeff, Jason, and I took a quick day trip up to Rochester, NY. It was my first time in the city, and let me tell you, we had a blast. The main destination we planned on visiting was the abandoned subway tunnel. The Rochester subway was a light rail rapid transit line that operated from 1927 to 1956. The Subway was constructed in the bed of the old Erie Canal. Most of the tracks have since been removed but it’s a really incredible tunnel nonetheless.We ventured into the West side of the tunnel first. Despite having a flashlight, and being told numerous times it was the darkest dark I’ll ever set foot in, I wasn’t prepared. There are basically three things I don’t like in the world; birds, authority, and the dark. I was sweating bullets. I don’t even know what I was afraid of but I was tense.

As we got further into the tunnel we approached the main part of it, where all the beautiful graffiti is. We peeked around a pillar to find we were less than fifteen feet away from a construction worker. We darted back into the darkness and I silently cursed under my breath about having to walk the mile back through the dark.

We took some awesome group shots with light painting in the darkest part of the tunnel before venturing out to snoop around the city. We passed some time exploring other places until it was late enough that we thought the workers would be gone. Eventually we made our way back, this time coming in another entrance directly into the graffiti (and light!!) filled area. It was GORGEOUS. There was just so much color. We wandered around taking photos. After about twenty minutes I heard a weird noise, saw purple lights on the wall, and just about peed my pants. I had no idea what it was but we all dashed into the darkness and hid until it went past. Minutes later we figured out it was just some guy on his motorcycle, he drove it down to take photos of it. Hah! If he only knew how much he frightened me.

As soon as the sun set, the tunnel seemed to come alive. Not with homeless people as one might suspect, but with young people hanging out. I couldn’t believe this place we were sneaking around and trying to be so very stealthy in was crawling with so many people. Kids drinking, smoking pot, taking photos, being SO incredibly loud. Seems like it’s quite the hot spot. I can’t fault them though, if this were in my city I’d mostly be there quite often as well. It’s a beautiful spot.

There are talks of the city turning the tunnel into a walkway with gift shops and a museum but only time will tell if something like that will ever pan out. It would cost a lot of money up front but it does sound pretty great once you learn that it costs the city $1.2 million in repairs per year just to keep it in this condition!

Rochester, you’re a real cool city.
xoxo

Zoetic Walls + a 30 mile ride

by Kaylah Stroup September 10, 2014

Last week I took a nice long bike ride, and I mean looong. 30 miles! I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty darn impressive, especially for someone who less than six months ago hadn’t ridden more than a mile ever. That’s my longest ride to date, and put me over the 400 mile mark for my total miles.

I biked from the West side of Cleveland, all the way to the far East side. I had seen a photo of a mural on instagram that I really wanted to get a picture of my bike in front of. Upon further investigation I found that the area that mural was in was rich with bunches of other murals. They’re actually called the Zoetic Walls and street artists from all around the world have come to help make our city look spiffy. It was really fun biking around the area looking for the murals. I obviously had to take a picture of my bike in front of all of my favorites.

Not a mural but here’s a wiener dog riding my bike. We stopped at Sandy’s Frozen Whip for a treat. This place, claiming to be “the feast in the east”, did not disappoint. I got a hot fudge sundae, which you basically can’t go wrong with. Jeff got a pineapple shake which was probably the best milkshake I’ve ever tasted! I’m looking forward to going back. Cleveland has SO many awesome ice cream spots!

We broke up the long journey home by stopping to shoot some photos on the pedestrian bridge over the highway. I don’t think I’ve ever actually been on one before. It was craaazy to feel the bridge shake when large trucks went underneath. You can actually see a squiggle in the light trails where a truck when by while the shutter was open, either that or someone hit a big pot hole! Haha.

30 mile bike rides aren’t something that will be possible all the time but here’s to hoping to do a few more before winter.
xoxo

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