Some work travel to California meant that I had a free weekend in SoCal and I figured I could fit in some Urbexing. Thanks to @Termin8tor for his visit to Boron in the Mojave as a starting point, I tracked down around 10 locations and thought I'd check them out. So with rented Mustang convertible, I headed northeast to Palmdale to begin the adventure.
#1 - Henning Hotel
Thanks to jet-lag, I was up at 2am and wide awake, so after getting my gear sorted, I began the 2 hour drive to the first location – the Henning Hotel. As it turns out, Google maps isn’t the most up to date and the hotel was demolished some time in 2015, leaving nothing but the old Motel sign next to the road, advertising free TV but there was none to be found.
Not much history to be found other than the “town” that used to be here died in the 1970s, after the Interstate I40 opened up just a few hundred metres away, bypassing the hotel, gas stations and cafes along this and other stretches of Route 66. Next door to the hotel is the Bagdad Cafe (formerly the Sidewinder Cafe), featuring in the 1987 film of the same name starring Jack Planance and C.C.H. Pounder. The Cafe is still open if you need a decent burger or milkshake.
Onwards to the next location…
#2 Delores Waterpark
History
Built in the 1950/60s by a local business man, the park started by the construction of a 273 acre man made lake, which was fed from underground springs. Over the next decade, camping grounds and a water park was constructed, fed by traffic from the nearby Interstate I15. The parks popularity peaked in the early 1970s and again in the mid 1980s, before the park closed in the late 1980s. At the time of its closure, the park housed four 150 feet long waterslides, a jet ski race track, lazy river and a Zip-cord ride.
In August 1990, the park was sold to a consortium who removed some of the water slides to make way for new rides, and in 1998, the park reopened as “Rock-a-Hoola”, the park now rebranded in 1950s style. Some what contradictory to that style was that the Electric Daisy Festival, an all night rave party, was held annually on the site until 2000, where the park was closed due to bankruptcy. The site was then returned to the original owner, who then sold it to another consortium in 2001.
In 2002, the park reopened after a $400,000 renovation as Discovery Water park. The park was only open on weekends in 2002/3 and somewhat ad-hoc in 2004 before once again the park closed its doors, this time for the final time.
In 2008, MTV filmed a skateboarding documentary on the site, using the waterslides and park to perform skateboarding stunts. Shortly after this, the slides were removed by the owners (probably to prevent future lawsuits) and one of the slides, “The Big Bopper”, now resides at a water park in Canada. Since then, the park has been used as a concert venue, a Top Gear America test track, an Airsoft tournament location, for a Mini ad, and various rock band music video locations. Several attempts have been made to renovate and re-open the site, but due to its current vandalised state this is highly unlikely.
[Para-phrased from Wikipedia and local sources]
The Explore
Somewhat annoyingly, the Daily Fail had posted an article about this location just 2 weeks before I was due to fly out so I was a bit annoyed that the site was public knowledge. That said, in the US urbex sites aren’t as religiously protected as they are in Europe, so I wasn’t expecting a pristine location either. Rolling up just after day break, I was surprised to see another car there and what appeared to be five other people wandering around the ruins. Taking a chance, I wandered onto the site only to bump into two others, one with a spray can in hand and appeared to be “chroming” – that’s one way to start the day! I bumped into the first set of explorers, who was a family with a few of kids wandering about on holiday – apparently the mother visited the waterpark as a child and wanted to reminisce. A short stroll around the site, I’d gotten my photos so left for the next location. And it was only 7.30am!
[Source: oasisthemepark.com] Back it its hey day
Fast forward 30 years...
Obligatory drone aerial
Out of tune
Ticket gate
Where the waterslide used to be
That first step is a doozy!
Water spouts
Lazy river. Peeing in the pool is ok with this raft!
#3 Villa Erin Brockovich
Between sites was the famous town of Hinkley. Nestled in the plains of the Mojave, a small villa sat abandoned, awaiting a quick explore.
The History
If you’ve seen the movie Erin Brockovich, you know the history of this town. The local energy company was using Hexavalent Chromium to prevent corrosion of a cooling tower, with the cooling water dumped into an unlined pond, that in turn seeped into the local ground water. Hexavalent Chromium is a carcinogen and genotoxic, and soon enough, the local people who drank the artesian water began developing cancers and birth defects occurred in children. While the people won a massive litigation in 1996 for $333 million, the down of Hinkley has more or less dried up with only a few die hard survivors staying in the town.
The villa I explored is a single family home that contains 1,305 sq ft on a 2.17 acre property and was built in 1955. It contains 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. This home last sold for $17,000 in August 1994. According to a property valuation website, the house is now worth $87,712, which has increased by $3,427 in the last 30 days. My urbex visit to the house was obviously adding value
The Explore
As I was passing between the water park and the next location, a brief stop in Hinkley to stretch the legs seemed like a good idea. The local school shuttered in 2013 with other businesses closing since then. While those locations were obviously locked, this villa appeared to be an easy explore. The energy company in question is buying up the land in Hinkley as soon as it becomes available, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this will be knocked down at some point, though judging from the condition of the house, it probably wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Small detached property...
...with bright and airy lounge ...
... with spacious kitchen ...
... and well maintained garden. All yours for the bargain prices of $87000! (Hexavalent Chromium not included in the sale)
cont...
#1 - Henning Hotel
Thanks to jet-lag, I was up at 2am and wide awake, so after getting my gear sorted, I began the 2 hour drive to the first location – the Henning Hotel. As it turns out, Google maps isn’t the most up to date and the hotel was demolished some time in 2015, leaving nothing but the old Motel sign next to the road, advertising free TV but there was none to be found.
Not much history to be found other than the “town” that used to be here died in the 1970s, after the Interstate I40 opened up just a few hundred metres away, bypassing the hotel, gas stations and cafes along this and other stretches of Route 66. Next door to the hotel is the Bagdad Cafe (formerly the Sidewinder Cafe), featuring in the 1987 film of the same name starring Jack Planance and C.C.H. Pounder. The Cafe is still open if you need a decent burger or milkshake.
Onwards to the next location…
#2 Delores Waterpark
History
Built in the 1950/60s by a local business man, the park started by the construction of a 273 acre man made lake, which was fed from underground springs. Over the next decade, camping grounds and a water park was constructed, fed by traffic from the nearby Interstate I15. The parks popularity peaked in the early 1970s and again in the mid 1980s, before the park closed in the late 1980s. At the time of its closure, the park housed four 150 feet long waterslides, a jet ski race track, lazy river and a Zip-cord ride.
In August 1990, the park was sold to a consortium who removed some of the water slides to make way for new rides, and in 1998, the park reopened as “Rock-a-Hoola”, the park now rebranded in 1950s style. Some what contradictory to that style was that the Electric Daisy Festival, an all night rave party, was held annually on the site until 2000, where the park was closed due to bankruptcy. The site was then returned to the original owner, who then sold it to another consortium in 2001.
In 2002, the park reopened after a $400,000 renovation as Discovery Water park. The park was only open on weekends in 2002/3 and somewhat ad-hoc in 2004 before once again the park closed its doors, this time for the final time.
In 2008, MTV filmed a skateboarding documentary on the site, using the waterslides and park to perform skateboarding stunts. Shortly after this, the slides were removed by the owners (probably to prevent future lawsuits) and one of the slides, “The Big Bopper”, now resides at a water park in Canada. Since then, the park has been used as a concert venue, a Top Gear America test track, an Airsoft tournament location, for a Mini ad, and various rock band music video locations. Several attempts have been made to renovate and re-open the site, but due to its current vandalised state this is highly unlikely.
[Para-phrased from Wikipedia and local sources]
The Explore
Somewhat annoyingly, the Daily Fail had posted an article about this location just 2 weeks before I was due to fly out so I was a bit annoyed that the site was public knowledge. That said, in the US urbex sites aren’t as religiously protected as they are in Europe, so I wasn’t expecting a pristine location either. Rolling up just after day break, I was surprised to see another car there and what appeared to be five other people wandering around the ruins. Taking a chance, I wandered onto the site only to bump into two others, one with a spray can in hand and appeared to be “chroming” – that’s one way to start the day! I bumped into the first set of explorers, who was a family with a few of kids wandering about on holiday – apparently the mother visited the waterpark as a child and wanted to reminisce. A short stroll around the site, I’d gotten my photos so left for the next location. And it was only 7.30am!
[Source: oasisthemepark.com] Back it its hey day
Fast forward 30 years...
Obligatory drone aerial
Out of tune
Ticket gate
Where the waterslide used to be
That first step is a doozy!
Water spouts
Lazy river. Peeing in the pool is ok with this raft!
#3 Villa Erin Brockovich
Between sites was the famous town of Hinkley. Nestled in the plains of the Mojave, a small villa sat abandoned, awaiting a quick explore.
The History
If you’ve seen the movie Erin Brockovich, you know the history of this town. The local energy company was using Hexavalent Chromium to prevent corrosion of a cooling tower, with the cooling water dumped into an unlined pond, that in turn seeped into the local ground water. Hexavalent Chromium is a carcinogen and genotoxic, and soon enough, the local people who drank the artesian water began developing cancers and birth defects occurred in children. While the people won a massive litigation in 1996 for $333 million, the down of Hinkley has more or less dried up with only a few die hard survivors staying in the town.
The villa I explored is a single family home that contains 1,305 sq ft on a 2.17 acre property and was built in 1955. It contains 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. This home last sold for $17,000 in August 1994. According to a property valuation website, the house is now worth $87,712, which has increased by $3,427 in the last 30 days. My urbex visit to the house was obviously adding value
The Explore
As I was passing between the water park and the next location, a brief stop in Hinkley to stretch the legs seemed like a good idea. The local school shuttered in 2013 with other businesses closing since then. While those locations were obviously locked, this villa appeared to be an easy explore. The energy company in question is buying up the land in Hinkley as soon as it becomes available, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this will be knocked down at some point, though judging from the condition of the house, it probably wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Small detached property...
...with bright and airy lounge ...
... with spacious kitchen ...
... and well maintained garden. All yours for the bargain prices of $87000! (Hexavalent Chromium not included in the sale)
cont...
