Words of Thanks
There were a few people who helped me out along the way, kindly offering their time and support. I'd like to thank:
Lone Ranger, for those late nights showing me around Winnipeg, scaring me with the way you pilot your car, inspiring me to be tougher and bolder in my explorations, and for running like hell when the alarm went off.
Ninjalicious (and Liz), for sharing your fascinating home, making me realize things aren't always what you'd expect, to always try every door, and be careful when running down stairs.
Polyester, for generously sharing your home and your couch, having such nice roommates, patiently listening, having an artful mind, and for demonstrating that it's okay to wear pink while exploring.
Kowalski, (Thanks David!) for showing me another world of draining, stubbornly making good days out of rainy ones, and for those amazing underground renditions of "My Favorite (UE) Things".
Naos, for going and living with me through one solid, fun, exhausting, cheap, filling, boring, humid, amazing, tiring, hot, exciting, annoying, incredible week of exploring.
Everyone else- it was great to meet you! Lots of good times had, hope to do it again!
About the Trip
I think it was originally Jester who encouraged me to attend the Conference. I had no idea, at that time, that the planned long-weekend trip would expand into a month-long Urban Exploration vacation. To do this, I started with a little bit of planning- then quit my job, left responsibility behind, and set off for the unknown. I spent one week in Regina, one week in Winnipeg, and two weeks in Toronto; in order to give myself a proper amount of time to get to know each city, and get some exploring done.
I managed to explore many amazing places and meet some fantastic people along the way. If I have one regret, it's that my trip couldn't have been longer- and I also wish it hadn't rained so much. But I'm more than happy with how my journey turned out, and I think exploring away from home is something I'd like to do a lot more of in the future.
About the Photography
I shot all my photos on the trip using a Canon Powershot A80, and occasionally a tripod. It was my first completely digital road trip, and I was a little worried about my images. I stored my photos on a Archos GMini 220, which I also used as an MP3 player during long bus rides. Everything was running smoothly- until about three weeks in. Although the GMini was performing flawlessly, I was having trouble reading the stored files on a Windows PC- and made the serious error of running a Windows file utility program of some sort. It totally fucked the GMini- to the extent that I nearly lost half my photos. After almost crying, I realized all photos weren't deleted, just moved and renamed. Some images, however, were indeed deleted, and I mourn their loss. Moral of the story- if it works, don't fuck with it- and stay the hell away from Windows.
But other than that, my first foray into total digital went superbly well. Equipped with a 256 Mb CF card, and three sets of batteries, I had no trouble at all with my camera. I wholeheartedly endorse the Canon A80- it is a wonderful camera. And also- no matter how steady you think you are, that image taken at 1/4 second while handholding the camera will always be a little fuzzy.