Forsaken

“Thou hast not forsaken them that love thee” Daniel 14-37

Holy Land USA has always moved me, even repeated visits. The ruins are a well known “location” that is often joked about within the urban exploring elite circle. It is not a challenging location. Most of it has been damaged by vandals. There are no underground tunnels and there is no awe-inspiring architecture.

So what is there to see in this dying theme park? John Greco, the creator of Holy Land poured his life into his project for almost two decades prior to its opening. His humble construction materials were recovered from the trash left by his neighbors. When everyone else saw old pots and broken china, Greco saw the beginnings of the magnificent palaces and soaring temples from the ancient world.

Since it’s closing in 1984 Holy Land USA has fallen into extreme disrepair. Now owned by a small order of nearby nuns who lack the resources to stop the damage, Holy Land is picked apart. With each visit more is damaged, more is lost. Still though, I believe that Holy Land USA is not yet forsaken. No spray paint will ever hide Greco’s passion to share his vision for something better.

-2012-
sleepwalking
new chapter

-2011-
like sedona?
torn in two
blink
bridge to nowhere
door
hitting the wall
elusive 2
elusive 1
ascenders
voyage
hole
icarus

-2010-
revisited 2
revisited 1
which way?
the pit
treasure
narrow
snowfall
chute
false floor
monolith
crack
freeze
slice
bunker
beckon
treasure
resolution

-2009-
goodbyes
undercurrents
casting the bones
mountain thief
the deer hunter
strange temple
sanctuary
burial pt. 3
burial pt. 2
burial pt. 1
scarlet fever
rebirth from hell
forsaken
the lower depths
underground lake
stretch sewer
crypt
still waters
shadow movements
meager rations
sw pt.8: geothermal + ending
sw pt.7: lost gold mines
sw pt.6: big tube caves
sw pt.5: gold!
sw pt.4: el calderon caves
sw pt.3: redondo
sw pt.2: ghosts
southwest adventure pt.1
the river
dark salvation
reflections
dreams
the underdark
night odyssey
beginnings