we proceed to return to the sub-yrl area and reevaluate royce hall's sub-basement level.
the sky was beginning to darken as we returned to royce, passing the many tents set up for the book festival the next day. security and personnel was heavy and a performance was also going on in royce hall which attracted many people. we casually walk down the lighted hallway and take in the scene by the water fountain as people pass by. when the coast was clear we take the elevator to the basement level, then the stairs to the sub-basement level. again, we had to prop the door to keep it from locking. exiting the stairs door on the sub-basement level, we turn right and open the white door directly in front of us. luckily for us it wasn’t locked. the small little hallway parallel to us turns left, leading to a small metal rung ladder into the steam tunnel. this tunnel is a bit wider than the first one we took, allowing us to walk through them with fair ease. it is also well-lighted.
we reach our first junction where two tunnels cross perpendicular to each other. with the aid of a map, we take the tunnel on the left, ducking under a big bundle of wires hanging across the opening. taking this tunnel, we reach the infamous "bridge." compared with rest of the areas we had come in contact with before, this subterranean room is enormous. entering the large room, we immediately run into broken slabs of concrete and dirt. the tunnel path leading straight ahead is flanked on one side by the brick work of the north inner face of the old arroyo bridge, and on the other side by large drop into the old ravine. the sound of a small creek emanates from the darkness beneath. concrete structural supports and framework of the bridge are visible, and covered with graffiti.
at the end of the large room, on the opposite corner, a door leads outside up onto dickson plaza. we instead take the wood staircase up to a higher level and into the tunnel entrance which led to murphey. we realized this route was the same one used by the head of the american nazi party when he gave a speech in royce in the 1960's and had to be led out to murphey for safety's sake, since protesters had gathered in the plaza outside. underneath murphey, we enter into a small electrical control room with a door at the top of a small flight of stairs on the immediate right of us. this door, which we didn't open, seemed to lead into a hallway. hearing a janitor just out of view, we instead enter the other tunnel entrance opposite the first tunnel entrance, moving in complete darkness. opening into a very flat room crossed with pipes, we crawl on our hands and knees, we discover that this tunnel comes to a t-end, leaving us to turn left because the route to the right leads to a dead end. we reach a small recess with a shanty wooden ladder leaned up against the wall up to a metal rung ladder in the wall leading up to a grate on the north side of murphey hall. using combined effort, we lift up the heavy grate and push it aside just enough to let us out, pulling it back in place afterwards. we emerge out of the bushes, luckily without anyone nearby.
we return to royce, with the intent to explore the sub-yrl area once more. entering the same way we used last time, we move quickly through the tunnel to the "blue hub" room underneath yrl. we exit the room back into the large storage area, prop the door a bit, and this time, quickly move to the lower level, making our way to the other side of the boxes and books by squeezing between a pipe and the wall. this area opens up in a lighted hall area and in front of us, a metal rung ladder leads up to a tunnel opening high up in the wall. we climb up the ladder, into the tunnel, and head towards dickson hall. we reach another t-junction and head straight to dickson. underneath dickson, we enter into a dark control room with running machinery and the sort. walking about cautiously, hearing stray noises here and there we explore a stairway leading up to a door. opening the door, we discover that it led outside, and noticing a man and a truck nearby, we return to the tunnel and make our way south, back to the t-junction, this time turning left towards macgown. we come upon another t-junction and turned right, deciding to skip checking out macgown. these tunnels were very hot, and crouching a bit to minimize the heat, we reach a perpendicular cross of our tunnel with another and keep straight, with the intent to ultimately reach haines hall. turning right and left, the tunnel reaches a very small junction area. we take the route on the right and squeeze past some pipes in a very tight tunnel. there was also water in the tunnel so we had to walk on the sides to avoid stepping in foot high water. we end up in a tiny room with two windows and a door that opened up into a small crossing hallway of the under-construction haines hall.
we walk about, exploring the large unfinished, unfurnished, terraced lecture halls, and wander into a very large hall which was having its ceiling light fixtures put in. peering into a small glass-less window in a door marked "15" showed it was a shaft that went down three floors or so into darkness. this probably explained why the door was screwed shut we exit haines through an open door and walked about outside, keeping in the shadows to avoid getting caught by people walking about on the other side of the covered fence. with too many people around, and not finding a way out, we go back into the building and out the main doors on the east side, hoping there might be an opening in the fence on that side. there wasn't, and we were completely surrounded by a fence. trying to go around the building instead, we come upon the bruin walk area with lots of security and people setting up for the book festival. after a thorough consideration of climbing into a window because the main doors locked when we exited, we luckily find another door nearby that was unlocked. using our map, we locate another tunnel entrance in another part of haines and use that tunnel, heading towards royce. taking this tunnel, which ended at a shaft that dropped rather far, with a metal rung ladder that led down, we cautiously climb down the ladder, discovering that it brought us back into the small room where we originally entered the other tunnel entrance. the double doors to the room were open, so we took cover behind some crates. exiting the room, we take a left and reenter the white door on the right to go back into the tunnel we started the evening with.
this time, we head down the tunnel until we reach the junction. instead of turning left, we go straight, where the tunnel began to get hot, leading us to a cramped little room with lots of debris. the door ahead of us was locked and had a ladies room sign duct-taped onto it. attempting to find the way to ackerman, we take a right. despite the fact that "high voltage" was the preferred phrase throughout the tunnels, we crawl over a mess of dangerous-looking electrical wires and squeeze by several pipes. luckily, the tunnel opened up as we headed towards moore hall, and reaching moore, the area widened into a subterranean room with pipes and a dirt floor that sloped down to the right of us beyond the pipes. straight ahead, the tunnel continued on and further down, branched off into many directions. still attempting to find the tunnel to ackerman, we leave this route alone and open the door in the opposite corner of the room. discovering that this door opens to the outside of moore, we instead take a small path in the middle of the subterranean room and open a door exiting us directly into the basement of moore hall. looking at our map which illustrated a route to ackerman nearby, we go to a door marked “vocational education services” and give it a pull. amazingly, it opened, and entering, found the most of the room closed off to us by large locked fences. one door labeled “gs12” was unfortunately locked and out of options, exit moore.
ucla, underground.
the sky was beginning to darken as we returned to royce, passing the many tents set up for the book festival the next day. security and personnel was heavy and a performance was also going on in royce hall which attracted many people. we casually walk down the lighted hallway and take in the scene by the water fountain as people pass by. when the coast was clear we take the elevator to the basement level, then the stairs to the sub-basement level. again, we had to prop the door to keep it from locking. exiting the stairs door on the sub-basement level, we turn right and open the white door directly in front of us. luckily for us it wasn’t locked. the small little hallway parallel to us turns left, leading to a small metal rung ladder into the steam tunnel. this tunnel is a bit wider than the first one we took, allowing us to walk through them with fair ease. it is also well-lighted.
we reach our first junction where two tunnels cross perpendicular to each other. with the aid of a map, we take the tunnel on the left, ducking under a big bundle of wires hanging across the opening. taking this tunnel, we reach the infamous "bridge." compared with rest of the areas we had come in contact with before, this subterranean room is enormous. entering the large room, we immediately run into broken slabs of concrete and dirt. the tunnel path leading straight ahead is flanked on one side by the brick work of the north inner face of the old arroyo bridge, and on the other side by large drop into the old ravine. the sound of a small creek emanates from the darkness beneath. concrete structural supports and framework of the bridge are visible, and covered with graffiti.
at the end of the large room, on the opposite corner, a door leads outside up onto dickson plaza. we instead take the wood staircase up to a higher level and into the tunnel entrance which led to murphey. we realized this route was the same one used by the head of the american nazi party when he gave a speech in royce in the 1960's and had to be led out to murphey for safety's sake, since protesters had gathered in the plaza outside. underneath murphey, we enter into a small electrical control room with a door at the top of a small flight of stairs on the immediate right of us. this door, which we didn't open, seemed to lead into a hallway. hearing a janitor just out of view, we instead enter the other tunnel entrance opposite the first tunnel entrance, moving in complete darkness. opening into a very flat room crossed with pipes, we crawl on our hands and knees, we discover that this tunnel comes to a t-end, leaving us to turn left because the route to the right leads to a dead end. we reach a small recess with a shanty wooden ladder leaned up against the wall up to a metal rung ladder in the wall leading up to a grate on the north side of murphey hall. using combined effort, we lift up the heavy grate and push it aside just enough to let us out, pulling it back in place afterwards. we emerge out of the bushes, luckily without anyone nearby.
we return to royce, with the intent to explore the sub-yrl area once more. entering the same way we used last time, we move quickly through the tunnel to the "blue hub" room underneath yrl. we exit the room back into the large storage area, prop the door a bit, and this time, quickly move to the lower level, making our way to the other side of the boxes and books by squeezing between a pipe and the wall. this area opens up in a lighted hall area and in front of us, a metal rung ladder leads up to a tunnel opening high up in the wall. we climb up the ladder, into the tunnel, and head towards dickson hall. we reach another t-junction and head straight to dickson. underneath dickson, we enter into a dark control room with running machinery and the sort. walking about cautiously, hearing stray noises here and there we explore a stairway leading up to a door. opening the door, we discover that it led outside, and noticing a man and a truck nearby, we return to the tunnel and make our way south, back to the t-junction, this time turning left towards macgown. we come upon another t-junction and turned right, deciding to skip checking out macgown. these tunnels were very hot, and crouching a bit to minimize the heat, we reach a perpendicular cross of our tunnel with another and keep straight, with the intent to ultimately reach haines hall. turning right and left, the tunnel reaches a very small junction area. we take the route on the right and squeeze past some pipes in a very tight tunnel. there was also water in the tunnel so we had to walk on the sides to avoid stepping in foot high water. we end up in a tiny room with two windows and a door that opened up into a small crossing hallway of the under-construction haines hall.
we walk about, exploring the large unfinished, unfurnished, terraced lecture halls, and wander into a very large hall which was having its ceiling light fixtures put in. peering into a small glass-less window in a door marked "15" showed it was a shaft that went down three floors or so into darkness. this probably explained why the door was screwed shut we exit haines through an open door and walked about outside, keeping in the shadows to avoid getting caught by people walking about on the other side of the covered fence. with too many people around, and not finding a way out, we go back into the building and out the main doors on the east side, hoping there might be an opening in the fence on that side. there wasn't, and we were completely surrounded by a fence. trying to go around the building instead, we come upon the bruin walk area with lots of security and people setting up for the book festival. after a thorough consideration of climbing into a window because the main doors locked when we exited, we luckily find another door nearby that was unlocked. using our map, we locate another tunnel entrance in another part of haines and use that tunnel, heading towards royce. taking this tunnel, which ended at a shaft that dropped rather far, with a metal rung ladder that led down, we cautiously climb down the ladder, discovering that it brought us back into the small room where we originally entered the other tunnel entrance. the double doors to the room were open, so we took cover behind some crates. exiting the room, we take a left and reenter the white door on the right to go back into the tunnel we started the evening with.
this time, we head down the tunnel until we reach the junction. instead of turning left, we go straight, where the tunnel began to get hot, leading us to a cramped little room with lots of debris. the door ahead of us was locked and had a ladies room sign duct-taped onto it. attempting to find the way to ackerman, we take a right. despite the fact that "high voltage" was the preferred phrase throughout the tunnels, we crawl over a mess of dangerous-looking electrical wires and squeeze by several pipes. luckily, the tunnel opened up as we headed towards moore hall, and reaching moore, the area widened into a subterranean room with pipes and a dirt floor that sloped down to the right of us beyond the pipes. straight ahead, the tunnel continued on and further down, branched off into many directions. still attempting to find the tunnel to ackerman, we leave this route alone and open the door in the opposite corner of the room. discovering that this door opens to the outside of moore, we instead take a small path in the middle of the subterranean room and open a door exiting us directly into the basement of moore hall. looking at our map which illustrated a route to ackerman nearby, we go to a door marked “vocational education services” and give it a pull. amazingly, it opened, and entering, found the most of the room closed off to us by large locked fences. one door labeled “gs12” was unfortunately locked and out of options, exit moore.
ucla, underground.
