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A SUPRISE ROAD TRIP



    Yesterday started out as a normal day; it was Dimtiar's day off and we both woke up around 9am to go to the gym. We stayed up late the night before watching Silent Hill and of course slept in; we were suppose to wake up at 6am though! 


    After the gym and back at the apartment, I made a smoothie but Dimitar told me that he had plans for us; I was intrigued so I took a shower, did my makeup, and chugged down my smoothie. I really had no idea what he was up to. He told me to bring my camera though to vlog which hinted that something big was coming. When we got into the car and he put on the GPS, I saw that our destination was 3 hours away!


    Dimitar wouldn't say where we were going so instead of prying, we spent a good chunk of time talking about life goals, singing to classic hits, listening to comedy skits and crazy horror stories on YouTube. The scenery was nice too. After an hour and a half of driving, we stopped for a break to get some food. 




Arriving at Ashland


    After roughly three hours of driving, we arrived in a cute, small folk town known as Ashland. Passing the town, the GPS said we finally had arrived and Dimitar stopped his car in the middle of the road.


    To my surprise, we were in Centralia, Pennsylvania; the location that originally inspired the making of Silent Hill! I was shocked because I had always wanted to check the location out and had no idea Dimitar knew about it too!


    For those who don't know, Centralia is a ghost town due to an underground mine fire, which has been burning since 1962; for about fifty years now. It's said that the fire can burn for another century, but it's hard for scientists to predict. Once the gases and fire started to spread, all residents were forced to move to Ashland. It's truly a sad situation that could have been completely avoided, but it was a honor to pay my respects.


Ashland



    Dimitar and I explored the town the best we could with the car at first, since I was wearing flip flops; when your boyfriend wants to surprise you by taking you to a toxic ghost town, but doesn't fill you in on what shoes to wear...smh. As mentioned, the town was pretty vacant, with only a few residents,  several cemeteries, and a church that is still standing. It broke my heart to see the town so empty, but the history inspired me to be better.











    We finally came across graffiti highway, the popular destination for those who enjoy exploring Centralia. It's a road that has been blocked off due to the cracks and gases that started to appear. Before, the highway was uncovered which attracted tourists to visit, but the road was officially covered with sand domes in 2020.




    There was only a small part of the road that wasn't covered which was on the other side of the road; Dimitar and I took pictures and recorded the best we could. Also, in the air we did notice a sulfuric smell throughout the entire town, which obviously came from the ground.











    Being in a real life ghost town made me contemplate on exploring the rest of the surrounding states near me for more abandoned towns, or even haunted areas. It's interesting to be part of a place that once used to thrive. There is something mesmerizing about seeing places age with time as the world moves on around it.


A vlog will be coming soon!


Until next time! xoxo - Sarah 


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