Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island (PART 1)

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ATTENTION EXPLORERS, GEOCACHERS, ADVENTURERS AND EVERYONE ELSE IN CYBERSPACE!!!! *Shameless Plug*

My eyes are getting droopy as I write this, yet I am so very excited to share our weekend at Rose Island, which is nestled so beautifully in Newport Harbor in Rhode Island, with you.  My pen (aka fingers on the keyboard) will flow freely and you will eventually be able to read all about it, but for now, I must present a shameless, yet totally worth it plug for our YouTube channel.  It's true!!  You can actually watch us on our adventures and, although we are just getting started and have not yet polished all of our superstar (well, J hasn't...M on the other hand, is a total natural!) in front of the camera qualities, we are, in my humble opinion, pretty fun to watch!  Now, a little warning...we are not history experts or production masters.  We don't have fancy graphics and background music.  We are just two adventurous best friends that love to ham it up in front of the camera and would love nothing more than to take you along for the ride!

So...here goes....shameless plug!!  Subscribe to our YouTube channel and subscribe, subscribe, subscribe!!  We are looking for feedback and ways that we can bring more adventure to you!    We are excited for this new quest and want you to be a part of it!

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So like, enjoy and subscribe!  Make sure to leave a comment for suggestions, ideas or just to say hello!!   Stay tuned for a fully detailed blog on our adventure at Rose Island and as always....

Do whatever makes you feel alive!!!

- Jennifer and Marcel

BSO syndrome, Ghosts and a Little Inspiration at the Hoosac Tunnel (Part two)

Boring?  Nope...This is the Hoosac Tunnel's first attempt!

I remember when I saw the episode of Ghost Adventures where Zak, Nick and Aaron made their way to North Adams Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious Houghton Mansion.  My eyes were peeled to the screen, as they always were when I watched my favorite paranormal shows. Zak's familiar exuberant excitement for all places presumed to be haunted always drew me in and I would sit wide eyed, just craving a chance to set foot in some ghost infested locale.  The episode eventually led the frenzied trio of paranormal investigators directly to the, known to be haunted, Hoosac Tunnel.  I leaned in closer to my television inspired by their immediate spiritual connection with the many souls who had so tragically lost their lives within it's damp, dark walls....195 to be exact, with 30 more to perish post construction.  It was a cauldron of ghostly activity...or so they would have you believe.  I firmly believe that inspiration can come to us in many forms.  Perhaps your greatest inspiration was  a historical hero, or a valiant character in a book or television show.  Perhaps you had a relative that really inspired you to be the person you are today.  It may have been a tragedy in your life, or a triumph that lit a fire beneath you.  Now, you wouldn't think that a television show about entities that may or may not exist could ignite much worthy inspiration, but for me, the dream of feeling a presence or seeing an apparition commenced.  So when the biggest and greatest inspirational figure of my life, (insert a long and lengthy sigh, followed by a dreamy smile and butterfly filled stomach) Marcel, brought me, for the first time to walk amongst the ghosts I so fondly adored,  I felt overwhelmed with wonder and amazement.   It was a late fall day and, after a brief viewing of the Houghton Mansion and a trip to the cemetery to pay our respects to the Houghton family and their chauffeur, John Witters, we pulled over and created our plan of action.  Neither one of us knew where this famed haunted tunnel was, but we sure as hell weren't going home until we found it.  Approximating logistically where the tunnel just might be, we parked the car and began our trek past moss covered gravestones, through yet another patch of tick infested woodland, down a steep and boulder layered ravine, across a gentle, yet ice cold brook searching for clues that would lead us there.  It seemed like an impossible destination to reach....what were we thinking??  Should we have called Zak, Nick and Aaron before we left to get the DL on where this place actually is??  Just at the fringe of frustration, we began to sense that we were drawing near.  We found a large gaping hole lying suspiciously in the ground and, as Marcel has always taught me...when something seems out of place, more often times than not, something awesome is to be found.  And with that thought in mind, we came upon a tree lined hill and just upon the crest, we looked down and for the first time, beheld the beauty before us.  We had conquered the landscape to reach our goal and it felt as though 225 lost souls were cheering us on, leading us down the embankment to set foot upon the tracks leading into the tunnel.  The chill air from within the darkness embraced us as we stood upon the threshold.  The industrial smell of left behind diesel, enveloped us as we began to enter into the shadows.  Further we went, ever mindful and respectful of the fact that this tunnel is active and that at any moment, vibrations of powerful proportions may arise as freight filled trains traverse the very rails below us several times a day.  Archway of brick giving way to carefully laid stone above us captivated our attention. We marveled at its magnificence as we moved forward.  Chilled droplets of dew splashing down upon us as we called out to the souls we were seeking....silence interrupted only by the echo of dripping water...no spirits to be found.   Truth be told, neither one of us were bothered in the least that we didn't have a gaggle of ghosts swarming around us as we traversed through the blackness.  The tunnel beholds great mystery and intrigue,  and quite honestly doesn't need the haunted hype to lure us back time and time again.   Since that magnificent day, we have returned and each time have been captivated by new discoveries.  Remnants of abandoned power stations at the West End leading out to...would you believe, a fast and stress free entrance to the facade that we spent over an hour to find....cascading waterfalls at the East Side leading to the majestic Deerfield River, that, during the summer is a playground for trout fisherman and kayakers alike...the Central Shaft where 13 men died tragically in a fire caused by the uniting of fumes from an old gasometer lamp and sparks within the abyss...our most recent find, the East Tower which was one of many towers used for navigation of the tunnel as it was being constructed....and....the piece de la resistance (in my mind anyway) our discovery of the first attempt at boring through the tunnel, a dark and gloomy piece of Hoosac history that we could not wait to get inside of.  The possibility of meeting up with a few snakes, bats (don't tell Marcel, he HATES bats) and spiders loomed before us, but....listen and listen carefully....
DO WHATEVER MAKES YOU FEEL ALIVE!!   Get into that cave like opening and enjoy the hell out of it!  
If you have had a chance to read any of our previous blogs (and if you haven't...what are you waiting for??) then you know that it is our firm belief that exploring comes in all shapes and sizes.  Adventure doesn't judge or have an agenda...it just wants you to find it and with every grand adventure of your life (be it great or small) you are creating the memories that will follow you until the moment you take your last breath.  Get out and enjoy this life and when you do, drop us a line and tell us about your adventures and your inspirations.   Be sure to follow us on Instagram and check out our ever growing YouTube channel where you can actually watch us exploring at the Hoosac Tunnel and surrounding areas.  Thank you, as always, for taking the time out to read our blog.  Now, get out there and explore!  

-Jennifer and Marcel

BSO syndrome, Ghosts and a Little Inspiration at the Hoosac Tunnel (Part one)

Part of the joy of being explorers is finding new places to travel to, new views to see, new secrets of days gone by to unravel, but there are always favorites that we long to return to.  Sometimes our yearning to return is to be within the familiar tattered walls of history.  Sometimes it's because our hearts felt happy when we were there.  But more often times that not, it's due to my "condition"...you all know someone who has it...here are the symptoms: flighty, often forgetful and easily distracted by sparkly things in the dust and darkness.  We often must return to our places of exploration simply because four hours of exploring with someone with "bright shiny object syndrome" turns quickly into eight, which quickly turns into the need to return to, for me...to find more treasures, for Marcel, to seek out and explore the places we may have missed.  Nevertheless, it is always exhilarating to return to our favorite places.  Within this blog, that I believe all of two people in this world of infinite explorers has read, I have decided to write an occasional thought or two about the places that we often return to.  Today's gem...The Hoosac Tunnel in Western Massachusetts.

Now, close your eyes and imagine that you are in back in the early 1800's.  There are no major roads, no semi-trucks lurking behind you as you traverse up a steep incline of highway, the familiar sound of jet planes flying over head is replaced by the soft howling of wind, and the sweet song of birds returning from their winter vacations.  Traveling from the beautiful east coast, through the mountains to the Midwest and beyond was not as simple as standing in an hour long line waiting for the TSA to uncomfortably pat you down before you could get into an aluminum tube that hurdles you thousands of miles in a few bumpy hours. Travel was time consuming and savvy business owners were using their collective intellect to find a way to get their goods to a wider base of consumers in a shorter amount of time.  In the beautiful Berkshires, industry moguls from Boston and surrounding areas were aching to get their goods through the rolling mountains that wandered through western Massachusetts leading up through the graceful and grand Green Mountains of Vermont.  And so, the dream of breaking through mountain to lay down flat bottom steel that could carry steam engine locomotives across through the Berkshires was born.  Now, me spewing out all of the history of the Hoosac Tunnel is bound to cause some slight snooze factor, as I tend to go on and on, however the brief history is one of importance as it is why this tunnel is so intriguing.  Here is a brief rundown..After years of struggle and legislative battles, work on the tunnel finally began.  It was to start with boring of  the eastern part of the tunnel with a innovative stone cutting machine that was designed to drill through the rough and rugged mountainside.   This wonder of modern, for that day and age, technology made it about 12 feet through rock before it faltered and was left abandoned (our kind of place!!).  Another site just to the right of the failed site was chosen and a new method was used.  It took 25ish years to complete,  amassing 17-21 million dollars in cost with 225 souls led to death...not the two year, fairly low cost tunnel that was at first proposed. 

Now, all of these factoids are interesting and there are about a trillion things we left out, but we aren't writing this blog to help you get an A in Massachusetts history, we are writing this blog to ignite a fire in you...a desire to get out and explore!  So with that being said, we would like to tell you why we return to this "no cell service" part of Massachusetts several times a year...why it's intrigue captivates us and has become a somewhat of a home base for our adventures.  See our next blog for more!!

Do Whatever Makes You Feel Alive!!  -Jennifer and Marcel

This Game isn't for everybody....only the sexy people!! Geocaching with J&M

Who says that every adventure needs to be a swash buckling venture riddled with mass amounts of danger, tribulation and risk?   Contrary to what some may think of the two of us, we are not always searching through pitch black and potentially rat infested tunnels, graffiti stained insane asylums and long ago forgotten structures with fragile floorboards.     Many days you can find us in the beautiful woodlands that surround us here in the Northeast.    We have always enjoyed our hikes through any condition that mother nature gives to us and can be found year round walking hand in hand through sunshine, rain, sleet, or snow, in the boiling heat of summer or striking chill of winter.   Exploring can be whatever you want it to be!   It wasn’t too long ago that we (okay, it was mostly the J of J&M, but M puts up with most of my shenanigans) began to collect treasures from almost every walk we went on.   Heart shaped rocks,  abandoned golf balls, stones with skull faces, nails from old mill sites, odd bones from mysterious animals,  beautiful sea sculpted shells and so many more…too many to list without boring the pants off of everyone who eventually may read this.     A curious assortment of trinkets and natural oddities, but to us, to me…they are sweet memories with my best friend, and if you haven’t figured it out by now….my love.    With all of the adoration that has come along with finding such wonders during our everyday walks, just imagine how excited I was when Marcel discovered (a quick shout out to Mr. Fables who has an extremely fun to watch YouTube channel)  Geocaching!!      Geocaching by definition (thank you Wikipedia) is…” an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.”   If you have not yet had the pleasure of this wonderful way to get off your couch and get out there, then we urge you to do some research of your own and check this great outdoor activity out!!    From websites to mobile apps, everything you need to know is right at your fingertips!   There are a few rules along the way, and we recently found out that if you make a newbie mistake, you will be notified immediately, but overall it has been an amazing new activity that goes along perfectly with our explorations!!   You won’t believe your eyes when you see how many places your geocaching  journey can take you to.  And,  guess what??  You won’t even have to turn in your “cool” card because the coolest guy I have ever known (That would be Marcel)  proudly geocaches in the midst of our extremely cool and never ever nerdy urban exploration adventures!!     If you find yourself geocaching on our recommendation or if you have been geocaching for years, we would love to hear from you, and we would love to hear your favorite geocache story!!   As always, feel free to leave a comment or shoot us an email!   And for the sake of everything completely cool and non-nerdy….Do whatever makes you feel alive!!!

-Jennifer and Marcel

Dear Snow, kiss our ass! Grossinger's Catskill Resort, Liberty New York

It has been a long winter here on the east coast and we have found ourselves pushing forward through frigid temps, howling winds and falling snow that, even now as we near the end of April, continues to rear its ugly head.  As stubborn as the two of us collectively are, we have not allowed the weather to dampen our spirits.  We have trekked through knee high snow to spy an eagle soaring overhead as we explored an abandoned mill.   We roamed through filth and muck in damp dark tunnels and skated cautiously over  frozen basements at a forgotten village for the mentally disabled.  We shivered our way through deserted cold war missile bases, seeking clues to a grim past that relented to a sliver of peace.  At times we have berated those who only come out on bright sunny days...how dare they travel past our frozen footsteps to bask in the warm air!  Do they not know that we have spent hours exploring through the winter chill?   It has been frustrating, to say the least.  So when the weatherman tempted us with one measly day of sunlight in the midst of the most absurd spring ever, we packed our bags and headed off to where we had the best chance of some much needed Vitamin D,  the Catskills of New York.  Destination...Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel.   

It wasn't the first time that we laid eyes on the crumbling buildings nestled in between a lavish golf course and the best diner we have ever been to in our lives (if you do not try the Liberty Diner's signature salad dressing before you die, then you have not truly lived.).  We had admired it's weathered landscape once before and had fallen in love with the idea of exploring the intriguing structures within.  We had heard tale of it's posh past where it had hosted well to do guests, many who would leave their hectic lives in the city to be pampered in the serenity of the Catskills.  Many famous faces walked through the now corroded hallways, making their way to the stages within to entertain the eager visitors or perhaps they were there to find a zen of their own.  Hints of the past invited us to enter and stand in admiration of what once was full of life and laughter.   

It is with great respect for the memories beyond the waiting walls that we entered the wooded area just beyond the clubhouse.  Our eyes seeking glimpses of relaxing days gone by.  The familiar smell of an oil tainted garage wafted through the air as we made our way toward the clubhouse and resort buildings beyond.  Shards of glass lay like sparkling diamonds at the entranceways.  We viewed fractured walls laced with graffiti and gazed upon once grand flooring littered with rocks used to strike through the very glass that was placed so carefully for protection from the elements.  Destructive behavior in abandoned locations is inevitable and although fascinated by the artistry, it is ultimately disappointing to see such disregard for history. Comfort comes from the echoes of others who, like us, are driven by the intoxicating  lure of abandoned places.  We stand in awe of it's brilliance and softly close our eyes to be transported to its golden age, where guests checked into a beautiful hall with a grand staircase and magnificent fireplace.  We tread lightly near the covered passageway to the breathtaking indoor pool where once children played and couples lay basking on a cold winter day in the warmth of the heat storing enclosed glass.  The fractured tile now home to dust and seedlings of moss and weeds. Molded remnants of a dilapidated beauty salon remain, where at one time, gossip and big hair dos were the style.  Making our way out of the damp, cool corridors of the host of buildings around us, we returned to the sunlit pathways outside.  It wasn't long before we spied a wooden structure that seemed out of place.  As Explorers, we have found that, that which is out of place will most likely lead to something that is, and at the risk of ageing ourselves,  totally awesome.  As we walked toward the mysterious object, we caught each other's eye and smiled.  There before us stood an enormous colossus of a pool.  How could this majestic oasis have almost eluded us?   In a blink of an eye, it was filled with cool sparkling water which glistened like rare and expensive  jewels under the light of the sun.  The broken and battered chairs that lay tattered and torn upon the floor of the corroded basin, suddenly lined up in perfect formation and held sunkissed vacationers sipping fancy drinks with umbrellas while holding paperback novels in their hands.  History had come to life as it always does when we explore our cherished forgotten places.  As our day came to a close, we looked at each other and knew...we knew that it would not be long before we would return.  There were more secrets awaiting and more beauty to see within it's deteriorating walls.   We thank you for taking the time to read about our travels and urge you to seek adventures of your own.  We encourage you to have a hunger for adventure,   always explore this amazing world around us, give mother nature the middle finger when she so stubbornly lets winter lollygag its way into to spring and....most importantly....

Do whatever makes you feel alive!!!

Jennifer and Marcel

Exploring is our passion!

Within the passageways and careworn walls of structures long forgotten,  lies history, imprinted memories of the past and the soft whispers of souls who once gave breath of life to these crumbling walls engulfed by time.  There are those who look away in disgust, blind to the beauty within.  There are others who enter with malice,  callous and careless, they leave their marks through destruction and filth.  And then there are the explorers.  Curious to history, architecture and the beauty of decaying walls, they seek to find adventure and inspiration within.   We are Jennifer and Marcel of J&M Explorations, two best friends who found within each other love, inspiration, and a mutual passion for exploration and adventure.  As urban exploration begins its journey into the limelight, it is our desire to share our adventures with other explorers, learn from those around us who share the same affection for abandoned places and to promote respectful and peaceful journeys into the dwellings that hold such antiquity and elegance within it's decay.  We look forward to hearing from you and in your sharing your adventures with us!  

Do whatever makes you feel alive!! 

-Jennifer and Marcel