After my long awaited exploration of the old highway bridge hiding in the bushes near Nanticoke Creek I found myself stopping to check out an old chimney hiding in the bush along Highway 3.

I had spotted the chimney sticking out in a clearing behind some bushes many times over the years. Finally having some extra time on my hands I pulled off to the side of the road and hiked on down. At first it seemed like there was almost nothing worth looking at here, just an old chimney sticking out of the ground with a big hole beside it where the foundation once stood. However as I looked around I noticed many more things, such as an old well nearby with plenty of water in it. Not too far from the well there was a large chunk of red bricks, all still cemented together — it first appeared to be a section of the structure that was once there, after looking at it more I was less sure of what it once was.

As I wandered around some more I found a large pile of tires, probably dumped there by someone too lazy or cheap to properly dispose of them. Just a few meters from there I found an old overturned wooden bench which to my surprise was home to two garter snakes. I snapped a couple pictures of them and left them in peace. After that I wandered off about 100 meters to and old and scary looking bridge that crossed the stream. It looked as though it was made of scrap wood and shingles; I didn’t dare to cross it.

After grabbing a couple shots of the bridge my cell phone battery died, and since this was an impromptu trip I did not have a proper camera with me. Armed with only my now dead cell phone, I retreated to my car and drove the rest of the long voyage home.

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One thing I love about owning a GPS is when I`m taking the long drive to visit my parents I can venture off on back roads I wouldn`t normally be willing to travel on as I don`t need to worry about getting lost. It takes a little longer to get where I am going, but I get to learn my way around a little better and I sometimes stumble upon gems like this one. Just off an old country road I found this home, which looked as if it had sat empty for 20 or 30 years. I can`t say for certain when it was abandoned, but I do know that the owner left most of what they owned behind when they left. My guess is it was an elderly person who passed away and left no heir.

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It`s funny how you can drive by a spot a hundred times and never notice something like this. Burried in a bit of overgrowth my friend and I unconvered an abandoned car garage. Judging by the pop bottles I found lying around it I would guess it was abandoned in the 1950`s, though it is hard to say for sure when.

We were on our way to go explore the Blue Ghost Tunnel and the Screaming Tunnel in Thorold when we spotted this just off a main road. After parking the car at the nearest lot and hiking through dense overgrowth we reached the building. It was hard to find the entrance, and thankfully we were watching our step as we could have easily fallen into what appeared to be either a storm cellar or an old well.

After circling the building we finally found the entrance. We had to climb through the dense overgrowth to get inside, as trees were growing right in the garage doors. Another good indication of how long this building has sat empty. We wandered around the old garage, trying to identify the various things we found lying upon its floors. An old fridge, a sign for the by drive-in theatre, a random rope hanging from the ceiling. Birds swooped at us from above, definding their territory. It looked as though no one had stepped foot in here for quite some time. Although there wasn`t much to see here, it was well worth the effort — definitely worth checking out if you`re in the area.

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