Walked in partway through? Start from the beginning.

After exhausting our waterpark task list, as well as the remaining sunlight, we continued on to our next destination.  During our brief pre-scout of this faily sizable wood framed warehouse, it proved photogenic and very interesting with fingers of sunlight permeating through various penetrations in the buildings envelope.  This effect was somewhat diminished in our nocturnal return, and thus shortened it considerably.

This photo was the result of the captains very clever interpetation of the wording of the task. I had originally planned to take a generic photograph inside an abandonment, and thus noticaeably photoshop chunks of it. the play on words and non-linear thinking that led to this photograph amused me greatly.

81. 24 beers cans in a pile - 20 points
91. photoshopping a picture in an abandoned building - 20 points


Our searching for a billboard on a rooftop led us atop a parking complex, while we were capturing a grafitti penis, an RCMP SUV pulled up and we made first contact of the race with an authority figure. It became quite clear that this officer was merely looking to make an entry into his logbook, to prove he was actually doing something. After taking identification (singular, I was not prompted), he left without even waiting for a response from his dispatcher, quickly  rebuffing our requests for a photograph of us with him and his cruiser to fulfill a task.  Diplomacy is clearly a priority in a sleepy, squeaky clean prairie town.

83. Grafitti penis - 20 points
Amusingly enough, i'm quite sure the reflection  in the window is the Police officers vehicle pulling up, just as this shot was taken.


After scrutinizing the Medicine Hat skyline and finding it bereft of billboarded rooftops, we scouted a flurry of possible locations. Two grain terminals, a possible fallout shelter, and finally, a historic red clay brick works. The first three proved fruitless in accomplishing anything, tasks or exploring-wise, and it was getting fairly late as we approached the final stop of the night. multiple Square brick chimney stacks limned the perimeter of the kiln section.

Pallets of bricks had been stacked up against the arched entryways and disheartened our already tiring bodies even more. One last pass, a random tug, the soft protest of slightly rusty hinges, and a rush of familiar pigeon scented air.  Our minds jolted from barely autopilot to full alert as the interior  took our breath away. Skilled brick layers had laid intricate vented patterns in the floor to allow air to pass up from channels beneath the kilns, and the arched ceilings showed remarkable resilience, despite the age. A few tasks were accomplished here, the thrill of finding some new and unseen propelling us along, unlocking some hidden reserve of Exploring energy.

26. Animal feces in a building - 20 points
56. Stepping in poop - 20 points






Wrapping up at Nealy 3am, and actively exploring for almost eight hours, we drove to the captains and mumbled semi-coherent plans for the morning while reviewing the photographs of the day, before passing out.. Roads, silos, and welcome signs dancing in our dreams.

Gather 'round little ones, for I spin a tale the prairies have not encountered previously, and aren't likely to experience ever again. It commences like all great stories do, on the internet. Inspired by Viva La Bam a certain Mike Dijital set out to create an Urban exploration themed, task oriented scavenger hunt/photography project/lighthearted prankfest.

That was five years ago, this is now. Enter Stage left Captain Canada and myself, as the pair comprising Team OSN (Ominous Sounding Name). I arrived in Medicine Hat via howling toddler-equipped greyhound, (any time you feel the urges to multiply, asexually or otherwise, entomb yourself with multiple sets of portable air raid sirens) and was quickly briefed on our abandoned assets by the captain.

Our initial route of roughly 550kms with a half dozen known stops, and a dozen anticapated stops, required efficiency, forethought, and a keen eye to spot what we termed "stumble upon tasks". Our first target was a truly massive and well decaying water park, with plenty of stagnant water, fading waterslides, and a friendly faceless mascot. A security guard had set up his comfy lawn chair in the adjoining parking lot,now being used for industrial storage, and thus an alternate entry from the campground on the hill above was required. Our patience and ability to not simply run blindly paid off, as we quickly accomplished several tasks in a very short period.

11. Abandoned swimming pool - 20 points
52. A funny team photo - 20 points


97. team float on water in something they made - 40 points


94. Team exploring with mayonaise in their shoes - 40 points
99. whole team in one chair - 20 points


41. degGi 5 chalk tag - 20 points


55. Team with a companies logo - 20 points


37. group in a cage - 20 points


42. office supplies in an abandoned building - 20 points


95. inflate 20 plastic shopping bags - 20 points 
Sadly, no bonus points for simulated oral sex with a cartoon tiger.


Onwards! into the night!

I've created a Facebook group to facilitate organising and announcing UE meetups in Calgary


http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112758967624

stupid coding won't let me hotlinky.