Southern Wanderer

Southern Wanderer I enjoy wandering around and finding interesting things to explore. Who knows where I'll end up next?

06/22/2026

Exploring a 1900's iron ore haulage way that connected several slopes together. We found a beautiful stacked stone wall, as well as pipes and rail left behind.

06/20/2026

Just hanging out with some buddies and getting some vertical practice.

Did you know that Birmingham’s tech future is being built directly on top of its industrial past?As seen here, the massi...
06/19/2026

Did you know that Birmingham’s tech future is being built directly on top of its industrial past?

As seen here, the massive new multibillion-dollar Nebius AI datacenter in the Oxmoor area sits right over old underground iron mine workings. While modern engineering means these subterranean workings are likely deep enough to remain structurally stable, it’s a fascinating—and massive—gamble.

Think about the staggering weight of a 300MW hyperscale datacenter: heavy-duty concrete foundations, endless racks of cutting-edge GPUs, dense cooling infrastructure, and massive electrical substations. Millions of dollars in fragile, high-performance tech resting above the hollowed-out corridors where miners once dug out the Red Mountain ore that built this city.

Is it deep enough? Almost certainly. But considering the cost of equipment and the immense weight of it all, building an "AI factory" over a literal 19th/20th-century iron mine is a wild collision of two entirely different eras.

What do you think—brilliant reuse of industrial-adjacent land, or an underground roll of the dice?

I came across this in a National Speleological Society Convention book. Now, I really want to find out how I can get Ali...
06/18/2026

I came across this in a National Speleological Society Convention book. Now, I really want to find out how I can get Alice her own NSS #. TAG Caver, any ideas?

Been a while since I checked on No 9.
06/09/2026

Been a while since I checked on No 9.

I found this airshaft back in April of 2022, but I didn't have the gear necessary to rappel down safely. I suspected tha...
05/18/2026

I found this airshaft back in April of 2022, but I didn't have the gear necessary to rappel down safely. I suspected that it went straight to the water, and confirmed that yesterday. As I started my climb back out, I felt my phone slip out of my back pocket. I turned around just in time to watch it sink down through the water into the abyss.... I really need an action camera to mitigate this in the future.... These are photos from my first trip. 😞

For anyone attending SERA this weekend, here is the map of the event.
05/07/2026

For anyone attending SERA this weekend, here is the map of the event.

I hurt my foot last weekend, so I had to miss a trip to a cave I have been looking forward to. But I got my rope, and a ...
04/12/2026

I hurt my foot last weekend, so I had to miss a trip to a cave I have been looking forward to. But I got my rope, and a beautiful sunset.

OMG! This is a dream come true! I cant wait! 😁
04/01/2026

OMG! This is a dream come true! I cant wait! 😁

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Birmingham, AL

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