Urban Exploration

Here are some sites I found recently about an old pastime of mine: urban exploration.

The Urban Exploration Database: Zone Tour. I found the video of the sewer system pretty interesting.

Another one: Infiltration: The Zine About Places You Aren't Supposed To Go

From the Infiltration site, I found this pretty interesting: The Roswell Missile Silo. The guy doesn't say that it's specicifically Roswell, but I think it is. He says, " This presentation will take you on a full tour of a decommissioned, abandoned underground missile complex. The site was opened many years ago by explorers and vandals, and in fact the technology therein was nearly obsolete by the time the bases were completed in 1963, so there's little "secret" about it beyond the location of these sites, which we will not reveal here." Your call.

This is one located in Australia and it has the best decaying city photography I've ever seen, as well as some good photography of the living city: Sleepy City Urban Exploration

Here is a whole webring of urban exploration sites: UE Webring

St. Louis UE:

Here's one that I haven't really looked at yet, but it's from St. Louis: Ecology of Absence

Here's a very extensive UE site for St. Louis and the surrounding area of Illinois: Sonic Atrophy

There isn't one in San Diego yet, and I don't honestly see much of an outlet for it because this city is booming with growth. If something were to fall into disrepair for more than a week here, it would be demolished and a new building would be erected, pronto.
On my last trip home to St. Louis, I noticed that part of the environment of Missouri, at least the area that I come from is that there are a lot of houses/buildings/barns that haven't been used in years. It's really depressing to see the same old barn with the "No Tresspassing" sign on it that you remember from a young child. That's the way it's always been. Things fall by the wayside for a few years and no one there notices or does anything about it. It's only when you've been gone for years that these things really stand out.
In my younger years, I had many fun times roaming through the streets of Owensville, MO, always looking for things to explore. I remember finding an old grain silo, but the thing was still in use and it was gigantic, so we never ventured upon it's turf. We only looked from afar. I think at one time we had big plans to explore the sewer system, but it was more of a novel idea that when put to the test, wasn't that great. Caves are another big one, but it's an almost different monster altogether.
I think when I go home again, I'm going to do some more exploration. There is something about the idea of exploration in some forgotten urban (rural?) realm that begs discovery, especially with the boredom that abounds in those regions.
For now, here's a picture of yet another house or something resembling one, you can't even tell anymore. I've been looking at this thing since as long as I can remember.

This is what I call rural decay: