I'm brand new to draining - just found this board and thought I'd participate, at the very least get some of my photos out where people might appreciate them. They're reposts from the Photo Critique board, but I'll give a bit of a story along with them in order to make it a bit more interesting.
So, I had been reading more and more about draining the past week or so and was starting to really get the itch to try it out. I mentioned this almost offhandedly to a friend of mine, who started getting really excited about the idea. Turns out, he's going into his fourth year of civil engineering and has always been really interested in drains and sewers and that which lies underground. We found a drain listed publicly (I'm not entirely sure why) in our area on the UE DB, which is about a 15 minute drive away. We checked google maps to find an exact location, checked our schedules to find an afternoon that worked, and checked the weather to make sure there was no chance of rain. The plans are finalized - we're going draining the next day.
The afternoon rolls around and due to some unexpected occurrences on my end, we're running a bit short on time, since I need to work that evening. We make the decision to push on despite time limits. The gear is scrambled, the car loaded up and we take to the roads. The outflow ends up being exactly where we had guessed (thank you, satellite images!) so we waste no time getting prepared.
My friends' idea of bringing along some garbage bags to use as makeshift hipwaders was an excellent one, since the creek right at the outflow was approximately a foot and a half deep. With no small amount of trepidation we slosh on ahead. I don't think either of us could stop talking for the first bit, whether out of nervousness or excitement it was hard to tell. We were like kids in a candy shop. I look back just as we're rounding a bend in the first RCB, and I'm greeted with this wonderful sight:
We push ahead. Another 30 feet up the drain and we come to the first manhole, as well as a Y junction with two RCPs, a 6' and an 8'. We decide to take the 6' first, since it appeared to bend around a corner before the 8', and we thought maybe it would come to an end sooner than the other. 15 minutes of painfully stooped walking (we're both over 6' tall and wearing boots) with absolutely no end in sight we decide it might be worth going back to check out the 8'. We do so. It's quite a relief to be able to stretch out and relax a moment after being crouched down for half an hour like that. I take advantage of the time to do some bracketed shots looking up at the manhole opening, to try and capture some of the amazing textures I was seeing on it. Here's the result:
It was suggested it looks a bit overprocessed, and I'm beginning to agree with that idea. I may revisit the shot on another exploration or reprocess the ones I have.
Once we had rested long enough, we head off down the 8' RCP. It's a joy to be able to stay upright as we walk, and we're making excellent speed. 5 minutes in we come to the first (and as far as we know so far, only) vault in the drain. It has a manhole overhead, and a 1 1/2 - 2 foot plunge pool surprisingly not all that debris-filled, especially after our very rainy summer. Managing to climb over the pool thanks to the manhole ladder, we continue on up the 8' RCP. Another 10 minutes of walking with a few bends and there's still absolutely no end in sight. I check my watch - we're running out of time if I'm going to make it to work that evening. Turning around, we pledge to come back ASAP and finish the exploration. Just before we make it back to the plunge pool I happen to turn around to saw something to my buddy and realize he's standing in a gorgeous beam of light coming down from a manhole. Immediately whipping my backpack off I get my camera and tripod out, and start telling him to stand as still as he possibly can. From that happily accidental moment comes my first drain portrait. I'm fairly proud of it, and I think he's rather pleased with it too.
We make good time on the exit, and gather up our belongings that had been stashed in a bush near the outflow. We probably looked a bit suspicious/stupid to the people along the high-traffic road we had just been under. Not every day you see people walking out of some bushes behind a fast-food place with a hardhat, soaking-wet boots, gloves and a big tripod and DSLR. I imagine we had some stupidly huge grins on our faces too - I know I did the entire night at work. I couldn't stop thinking about that drain. I think it's safe to say after that one incredible exploration I'm very much addicted. It was the most fun I've had on an exploration in the almost two years I've been urbexing.
Thanks for taking the time to read through the story. It's far from interesting, we didn't make any awesome discoveries and the location was definitely a known one. I'm still a bit confused as to why it's publicly available on the UE DB, maybe because there's no kind of "lock" or security to bypass to get into it, it's just an open RCB. Regardless, I'm incredibly glad it was public, otherwise I wouldn't have discovered my new love.
I can't wait to visit a few more locations or revisit this one - we've already been combing google earth along the rivers near here and we think we've found some possible big drains. My friend being a civil engineering student, we have high hopes for his getting access to some good maps in the coming fall.
Cheers, thanks for reading.
order your copy of Access All Areas today!
