Category:

explore everywhere

Sometimes I go places, this is where you can read about my adventures. Road trips, cemeteries, abandoned places – they’re all here.

beach combing

by Kaylah Stroup May 8, 2019

One beach, a half hour of wandering, twenty-eight objects to get the tangles out of your hair.

Wild, isn’t it?

I also found a handful of barrettes and a weft of braided hair that had to be at least a foot and a half in length.

A quick found on the beach FAQ

You found all of these in one trip? Sadly, yes.
What do you do with all after your done? Normally I toss it in the trash or recycle if appropriate. Sometimes I may take certain pieces with me if I think they’ll look cool in a future arrangement or if it’s something I collect. Toy soldiers & all other tiny plastic characters come home with me! I also collect plastic plants, leaves and flowers.
Do you wear gloves when you pick all this trash up? No, I don’t. These are things that are washed up from the lake, not just left on shore. They’re no dirtier than the sand or water. That’s not to say I don’t sanitize my hands as soon as I get back in my car though…
Are all of your beaches this gross? No, absolutely not. We have lots of gorgeous, clean and downright picturesque beaches along Lake Erie. This one in particular just seems to collect all the debris from the lake. I have yet to find another this bad in the area.

combs found on the beach — Boots by Joules. *(I highly recommend them!)*

CHECK OUT MORE ‘FOUND ON THE BEACH” POSTS HERE!

If you like my ‘found on the beach’ collections – prints, phone cases, and more can be found here.

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!

abandoned church

by Kaylah Stroup March 27, 2019

Still loving this camera bag. Read my review of it here.

Another leave-the-house-before-the-sun-even-rises weekend adventure. This time, an abandoned church.

We had actually scoped this place out a couple of years back but couldn’t find a way inside. I didn’t realize that’s where we were heading on this trip or else I might have protested. I woke up moments before we drove past and immediately spotted exactly how we’d get inside. It was comically easy, especially considering how tightly it was sealed on our previous visit. It’s incredible how quickly a building can go from useable to completely wrecked once it’s abandoned.

The most interesting thing to me about this church was, without a doubt, the stained glass windows! I’ve been in my handful of abandoned churches but never one with this many gorgeous, colorful windows. This spot has been abandoned for a while and suffered quite a bit because of it. There was a massive hole in the middle of the floor, the drywall from the ceiling and walls is missing and the balcony was threatening to collapse but surprisingly the majority of the windows were intact. I’m not sure how much longer they’ll last before vandals destroy them though. I hope someone saves them!

abandoned church with stained glass windows

Aside from the gorgeous windows, there wasn’t too much to see. Just a giant empty room and a dark empty basement. Seems like we were a little late, photos from just a couple years back show the church with white walls and pews. I’m curious what it’ll look like in another year.

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

abandoned gas station

by Kaylah Stroup March 21, 2019

The weather isn’t really warming up too much, but we’re all feeling those spring vibes. We’ve been trying our best to get out early each Saturday morning to wander and take photos. Waking up before the sun even rises on a Saturday isn’t necessarily easy, especially since Squid has been cuddling with us every night for the duration of the night and leaving a warm cozy little spoon of a cat sucks, but it is so worth it.

This gas station was a happy accidental find on the way to our destination (which had sadly been demolished.) There was just something about it that felt like the desert. The temperature was the exact opposite but this hollow shell of a building transported us all to a far away place, if only for a second. Perhaps it’s not as interesting as thirty or so trailers and cabins packed full of stuff but it was still a super fun little stop that yieled some nice shots.

Close up of the pump at an abandoned gas station.

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 trailer park 2019

by Kaylah Stroup March 6, 2019

Four years ago Jeff and I discovered what would quickly become one of my most favorite abandoned places. This former vacation hot spot is a place we visit nearly every year, and some times more than once. Colorful trailers and cozy cottages line a small overgrown road. Each one filled with personal items. It’s like one day everyone just left and never came back.

Despite having visited so many times it always feels so new and exciting!

One of the most shocking differences this visit was how overgrown it was. Our very first visit was in March of 2015. It was still technically winter so it was quite barren. I remember being completely enthralled by the line of brightly colored trailers. When we returned in June of the same year I was shocked at how grown up it was. The green of the leaves was overwhelming. I even noted in a post from that visit that toward the end of the road there were some trailers so completely overgrown with trees, and other plants if you weren’t specifically looking for them you could easily miss them.

This visit was similar, I was overwhelmed by the growth except there were no leaves. Small trees have started growing into something a bit more substantial. Most of the small cabins near the front of the property were actually hard to get into. My winter jacket and double layer of pants protected me not only from the cold but from the briars. Squeezing my way into some of those spots in a tshirt and shorts seems unthinkable. I also imagine that once the leaves make a return most of the cabins will be nearly invisible.

2019
2016
2015

The trailer park is the only spot I can think of that I’ve ever been where after visiting so many times I still feel like there is tons more to shoot. I never leave feeling completely satisfied. There’s always something more I could have looked at, another door I could have went through. This basically guarantees that each visit I find some new detail I absolutely love and wonder how I could have possibly missed it before. (The made bed a couple of shots above caught my attention this time.)

This chair though! I’ve been taking a photo of it every time we go just to document its decay. It’s barely recognizable these days. When summer comes around again it’ll probably go missing in the tall grass.

Until next time, trailer park.
xoxo

Check out past posts from this location – March 2015, June 2015, May 2016, March 2017 & May 2017.

abandoned mattress factory

by Kaylah Stroup February 26, 2019

Last Saturday we woke up early for a little morning adventure. We’re trying to get better about getting out of the house and exploring more. Especially in this weather, it’s too easy to be lazy and spend your days inside.

Our first stop of the day was an abandoned mattress factory on the east side of Cleveland. This factory is one I’ve been in before, although last time I only left with a couple photos I liked. (You can find the single shot I shared in this post.) Needless to say, I was happy to go back and come away with lots of photos that I love. Abandoned factories aren’t my favorite. I mean, I won’t say ‘no’ to an abandoned building. BUT they can feel a bit repetitive. I don’t have a personal connection with factories. I’ve never worked in one nor have I even been in one that wasn’t abandoned. Most of the time they’re completely empty and to me, the most exciting thing in abandoned buildings are the things left behind. This factory has two things that make it a bit more exciting for me though…

First, the buckling floors.

In abandoned buildings when the floor does this we call it a whale. Ya know, like there is a whale under the floor. I tried googling that and found nothing so….? The ones in this building are the best I’ve ever seen in person.

The second thing making this building interesting to me is… trash.

Yup. Trash. This building is fairly close this factory which has had issues with illegal dumping in the past. (Between 30,000 and 40,000 tons!!) So it comes as no surprise this one has a bit of dumping problem as well. The trash inside and around this building is different though. Massive piles of shredded paper, files, and stickers. The piles outside have been exposed to the weather so long that they’ve essentially become solid lumps.

Empty factory or not, I still enjoy getting out early in the morning with my friends and taking photos.
xoxo

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.

scenes from frozen Lake Erie

by Kaylah Stroup January 29, 2019

It’s basically never too cold to keep me away from Lake Erie.

frozen lake erie

found on the beach

Except maybe tomorrow when the temperature is supposed to be a whopping one degree. I think I’ll just stay home and drink coffee, cozied up under a blanket in my office instead.
xoxo

abandoned school – snow day!

by Kaylah Stroup January 22, 2019

Over the weekend Ohio got smacked with a HUGE snow storm. The amount of snow wasn’t quite so extreme, at least in my opinion, but the wind made massive snow drifts. It was nearly impossible to keep sidewalks, driveaways, and roads clear. While nearly everyone hunkered down for a cozy couple of days, my friends and I thought this would be a good time to get out and explore. We can literally do nothing all summer but as soon as the cold weather comes around, we all of sudden want to be out all the time. It’s stupid and never all that comfortable but it is fun. Jeff got a new Jeep last year so this snow storm was the perfect test of his 4wheel drive. We were able to effortlessly navigate the snowy roads and make our way to an abandoned school that had recently come on to our radar.

The majority of the windows are boarded up meaning a lot of sections have exactly zero light. The other windows, with boards removed and window broken, let in very little morning light but did offer lots of snow and bitter cold wind. We didn’t peek in every class room and missed large sections of the building but still, the three of us couldn’t have been more pleased with the morning. Sometimes, in places like this one, you’re just full of such excitement that it’s hard to concentrate of seeing everything and setting up the best shots. It can definitely be overwhelming. We spent an hour and half of our morning exlaiming to one another ‘check this out!’ and ‘did you see this!?’

I can’t think of a better way to spend a snowy morning.

One of my favorite parts of this building was this snow pile. I spotted it from the hallway. The room was pitch black but I could see something large and conical. I shined my flashlight on it for a better look. It took a few seconds for my brain to realize it was snow coming in from the roof! After this one, I spotted a couple more of them throughout the school but none as perfect as this one.

I’m not wildly impressed with the photos I took. A stronger flashlight was definitely in order so I basically just played off Jeff and Jake’s lights. Still, it was a fun adventure. It’s always a blast to explore a new place together, especially one this large. I’m looking forward to getting back, armed with a better light source, and capturing some more shots before this place is gone.
xoxo

Use the ‘abandoned‘ tag to view more posts on forgotten buildings across the US.

Newer Posts

Older Posts