VH3 Run 677 - Blue Balls Bowker Creek Subterranean Graffiti Hash, July 16, 2016

VH3 677^th - Blue Ball's Bowker Creek Subterranean Graffiti Hash, July 16, 2016

On this run hashers got to experience a bit of what is called Draining, a hobby of urban explorers (UEs) where culverts are explored. The Bowker Creek tunnels were used as part of Blue Balls hashing trail.

Known as the Bowker Creek tunnels these culvert areas are broken up into a number of section, with two that actually have names. The local UE communities have named one of the parts of the tunnels and the section that we ran is the 'Hall of Wonders'. The Hall of Wonders is about 1.3KM and runs from Towley at Pearl streets, under Pearl, crossing Shelbourne, turning under Doncaster, crossing under Hillside street, up a splits off at Clawthorpe Avenue for about two blocks to exit just on the otherside of North Dairy. This is the tunnel that contains the timeline of the Earth with laminated posters and spray painted illustrations - very educational if hashers stopped and spent any time reading them. As some of the group didn't do the tunnel sections of the run, hashers in the tunnels didn't have a lot of time to spend reading these. Blue Ball captured most of these in his Graffiti Hash Reci Photos (click here), so you can read them there.

From the start at Oakland Park hashers ran on the 'surface' about 800 meters directly to the first tunnel entrance, crossing over Shelbourne Street and finding there way to Townley street just south of Landsdowne Middle School. They entered the Halls of Wonder there as the culvert plunges under Pearl Street. This is were the photos begin. Those hashers not wanting to do the

tunnels I think were given a map to follow of an alternate trail on the surface. Once the tunnel-running hashers returned to the surface on the otherside of Hillside Mall, they then ran back towards where they had started via Summit Hill - it was sort of a tunnel-to-sky run. Once back in the North Jubilee neighborhood they did another short bit of tunnel to pop-up just at the BC.

At Towley road hashers hop a fense, go down a short bank, and head into one of the Bowker Creek culverts. The hare found a rock to place one on-ons to confirm that the hounds are on trail. Once inside it was a wet and dark live hare affair. In mid-July the creek is just a trickle. Click here to zoom in on the on on. On the wall above the dot you will see one of the 'First Planets' poster. See these in the Hare's photos taked while he was reconnoitering the trail.	I suspect the 'Yet?' next to this drainage pipe follows an 'Are you wet'.	A recent addition to the culvert walls.	Fortunately all tunnels eventually lead to an exit.	Maybe left-overs from some of the artist who work on the wall art here. A can rolling along in the flow of the stream added a haunting audio ambiance to the tunnel.	Occasionally you will encounter sudden flows of water from somewhere on the surface. This part of the tunnel looks like that portion of Bowker Creek covered over in 1957. See this photo from the Victoria arcives taken June 21, 1957, of Bowker Creek culvert under Hillside Avenue.	Maybe a portrait of the last person lost down here.	Yeast Infection reaches daylight.	Blewb'y leads the way up an ally next to Clawthorpe Park crossing Doncaster Drive and ends at Gosworth road.
Gary Glitter is close behind.	Yeast, Some Bitch C, and Jack the Tripper follow.	Blowing though a back ally.	Wild Rose	Heading south through Oswald Park.	A rose by any other name is still a rose...	...even when it is a red rose.
The hare sweeps as hounds complain about climbing Summit Ave. to the top of Summit Hill.		Garry Glitter finds a cut-through probably off the end of Montrose Ave.	An eagle/turkey split is found. In this case the eagles will fly low...	...into another wetter culvert where the Bowker plunges under Richmond Rd. at the end of the trail on Kings Park. Above the culvert is Kings Rd. and The Spirit Garden.	The tunnel is narrower here, so the water is almost calf-deep.	A dark and narrow tunnel goes a short distance to ...	...a set of gaffiti walls. We must be getting close to the tunnel's end.	There's light ahead!
Wall Art	More Art	Even More Art	Almost Endless Art				The eagles find the turkeys at the tunnel's end near Landsdowne Middle School South Campus. Here is where the BC is. The turkeys are the hounds with dry feet. Hot Nuts is among them, and I was surprised he hadn't done the tunnels to shoot a video of the adventure.	Sir My Cocks A Fallen and Boomerang in repose.
SBC shows off her Foxy hashing socks.	Blue Ball show off his wise change of shoes, and his tan-line ending at his feet.	Cougarbait show off how he's dry. He did not do the culverts, otherwise he might have had to swim some of it.	Back at Oakland Park the hare gets punished for his elaborate trail.	Our virgin Just Andy tells us his joke.	Banged Up Between, High Beams, Oh Candida, and Garry Glitter are waiting to be noticed for not paying attention!	Garry Glitter gets to wear The Wanker's Shirt and gets a kidney dish down-down.		Boomerang gets a down-down.