It began with a winding drive down West Coast Road, we found an old road behind a row of empty houses and walked the muddy trail to the old River Dam. Through the brush stands a 38 metre wall of gray, elongated by its floor to ceiling windows.  

The Vancouver Island Power Company completed construction of the Jordan River hydroelectric system in 1911. Today the structure towers barren through the brush, but the destruction inside is colourful. From the overgrown vines to the collection of graffiti on the industrious walls, the building makes for a unique place to explore. 

Street Art had found its way to this building that Mother Nature hadn’t been so easy on. The appeal of urban decay is thrilling to a photographer, and we took our time with letting our eyes wander from piece to piece, littered with amateur dicks and “was here’s” in-between. 

Heavy drops of water hit the hollow cement floor and echoed in the additional room, which was just a climb over the eroded sawdust floor. There was a reminiscence of people, which left us to wonder who else lived there. Realizing that we were never alone, we explored with caution. 

The ceiling above looked as if one strong wind would bury you in I-beams and diminished concrete. Water damage was evident, which is why I would like to state how dangerous a place like this could be, and one should use extreme caution. Floors can always collapse below or above you.

Footsteps began to echo, someone would run by in the other room causing such a loud sound. We weren’t alarmed, our visit was in broad daylight and we continued our photographic adventure. Climbing over mounds, or hoping over holes we made our way to the other side. The floor seemed thin, and the creative wall art continued. Proving that this place was like any other similar structure in a small community, a haven for young adults.

We found a stairway into the collapsed labyrinth underneath. Being the safest entrance down under that wasn’t marked “jerk offs only” we embarked only to see two others climb back up above ground. It was pitch black and a little scary. Once we saw all we could see with our dim flashlight, we climbed back up to see our two mystery explorers walking along the wall each with their own machete. 

Even though they swang them around and whistled something creepy, we knew they were just small town kids blowing steam. They proved us right when moments later they began to cut brush for no apparent reason. This may seem odd, but being from a small town myself I get that sometimes you just need to do the most mundane things to pass time.