At the end of the afternoon...

...we were filthy dirty...

...and grinning at each other like kids in a candy store.

We drove out of the gate and glanced back at the truck bed filled with gritty treasures.

 

Here's part of what happened during our adventure of the day.

 

I've been writing about Mr. Jenny's and my journey to salvage at the now defunct GM Proving Grounds.  To read the last segment, just click here.

 

Early afternoon we headed out to meet Terry...a contact I hud dug up through some pretty intense phone calls.

 

We drove by all the razor wire...

 

And sat outside the gates waiting for our entrance through the secured portal.

 

 

A few other cars and trucks went in.   Each stopped inside the gate to make sure we didn't tail-gate into the enclosure.

 

My phone went off and there was a text from Terry, telling us he was on his way up to the gate to let us in!

 

Mr. Jenny and I kept glancing at each other in excitement.

 

Finally, a dusty pick-up pulled up and the gate opened.

 

A sun-tinted window rolled down and a sun-browned arm motioned us to follow!

 

We followed the driver through paved roads bordered by rubble.

 

I felt like I was at a ping pong match.   My head whipped back and forth trying to see all the salvage stuff everywhere.  Piles of bricks and blocks and steel beams and equipment.

 

After a few long minutes, the truck we were following pulled into a low bunker-like, building.

 

I jumped out of the truck in excitement.

 

Inside the huge roll-up doors I could see all kinds of stuff!

 

I waited patiently for Terry to disembark from his truck.

 

Okay.

 

I really didn't.

 

I was pretty much just dancing around and jumping up and down.

 

Mr. Jenny and I shook hands with the handsome, sun-darkened guy and we went inside.

 

"So...you're looking for what specifically?" he asked.

 

"Signs, industrial furniture, cool metal that can be re-purposed, rusty..."

 

Terry held up a hand to stop my long list.  "Got it," he said, "You're like my girlfriend...you like all the weird stuff, right?"

 

"Right!" I beamed at him.  

 

"Follow me!"  Terry said...

 

...and we did.

 

Oh my.

 

He took us into a room with tons of industrial lighting, heliport lights, spotlights, cool metal boxes, eye-wash stations and sinks.  There was so much stuff in that room that I actually squeaked in excitement. 

"Just look around and remember what you might be interested in.   We have lots more stuff to look at."

 

He took us in another room with fire equipment and waste disposal equipment and more cool iron, steel and aluminum bits and bobs.

 

I squeaked again.

 

He took us in another room with several hundred signs stacked up in a giant pile.   I started digging through.   I handed quite a few to Mr. Jenny to set aside.  After thirty minutes of digging I didn't even put a dent in the pile.

 

We went into the main part of the room.  I found some awesome industrial tables with plank tops and an industrial bench and a cool office chair.  I found a bright blue chest filled with electrical parts.

 

Another room yielded a bright orange chest and a metal yield flashing light and funky, cool lighting.   A stack of drinking fountains caught my eye.

 

I was on overload.

 

Seriously.

 

There.

 

Was.

 

So.

 

Much.

 

Stuff.

 

Terry was fabulous.

 

He and Mr. Jenny were laughing like crazy at me because I was so excited.

 

We filled up the truck.

 

Terry was quite reasonable on everything we purchased.

 

And then said that he had some more buildings with more furniture and things and wondered if we wanted to come back.

 

COME BACK!!!????

 

Are you kidding?

 

We're going back today.

 

And I can hardly wait.

 

Here's some of the stuff we 'rescued' and I can't wait to show you what else we find today.

 

 

 

Mr. Jenny and I are still grinning this morning from our adventures of yesterday.

 

I double washed all of our clothes to get the grease and grime out of them...

 

...and I can hardly wait to get them dirty again today!

 

TO BE CONTINUED!