Sublunar Photography

This prison is guarded, some buildings are active/alarmed and a high ranking government official lives on site.. For over 10 years, I simply called this one "Prison #3", but I have since updated this post with the site's real name.

As with any good road trip, we crossed hundreds of miles of snaking highway to reach distant towns far from home in search of new places and new experiences. We had only stopped a few times for food along the way; these breaks become necessary to fight off highway hypnosis a little while longer. Greasy diner food, gas station junk and coffee are the fuel of adventure! Eventually the unending expanse of desolate highway began to give way to city lights. Not just any city lights, for these shone brighter with the promise of adventure and signalled that we were finally nearing the end of our long drive. At least this leg of it anyway. In reality, we had only just begun.

We arrived in town after dark, in the cool and quiet hours. The city illuminated the horizon as we got closer but we wouldn't join them, instead we streaked past them through the night. I felt that tinge of excitement and wonder seeing this new city unfold in front, then all around us. We were almost there. My body ached from sitting in the car for hours and my wanderlust compelled me to see the city. But we had a lot of work to do in the morning so our only objective was to get to the hotel and get some sleep. We kept on our predetermined course which bypassed the heart of the city, through the outskirts of town.

We made our way through the industrial and sparsely populated areas outlying a huge flashy city we hadn't even become properly acquainted with. The destination was to be found in an area where most tourists avoid, this sort of sight-seeing not being the kind this town is accustomed to. The hotel was booked in advance as close as possible to our objective. We passed it on the way to take a preliminary reconnaissance of our target. Now, we were getting down to business.

We drove down the road to see this thing that has compelled us to venture so far from home. And for all this trouble, it better be good. As we got closer, we began to see a massive castle looming in the darkness. A foreboding and beautiful edifice stood tall ahead of us and its spires formed a gothic silhouette across the night sky, unlike any I had ever seen before. But there was a catch.. Between us and this architectural marvel, there was a security guard visibly stationed at his post and it was his job to keep us out.

We headed back to our hotel and checked in. We got unpacked and I talked to my girl, who I missed. She was home in a warm, comfortable bed. I was exhausted and anxious in an uncomfortable bed hundreds of miles away. I tried to sleep. I tried to not think about sleeping. It was getting later and later. Still no sleep. It was probably 2am by the time I might have begun to drift off. But then, just before actual glorious sleep had fallen over me, the room next door filled with commotion. Some assholes decided it was the perfect time to get a room next to us and be the loudest people in town. I was so frustrated I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to. My comrade was the first to get around to doing something about it, so he went to the door and asked them to be quiet. It worked, surprisingly, but now i was irritated on top of being anxious. I had a lot on my mind. I almost made it to sleep before my alarm went off. We had to start early. I had managed exactly no sleep all miserable night long.

It was much more sketchy than I had anticipated. For example, we had to sneak through the high-ranking government official's back yard.. Various buildings were locked up and some were alarmed. There was even a security camera inside the perimeter. I hoped they weren't watching. And then the security guard arrived for his early morning shift just after we had gotten inside.. But we are (allegedly) smooth criminals and as such, we squeaked by without incident and the poor guard missed out on a great opportunity for excitement in what was surely an otherwise boring job. We avoided the parts that we needed to avoid and we managed to get inside the prize and it was totally worth it. Hell yeah, dude.

Death Row

Execution Chamber