In a few short years the Manyberries Alberta railway station will be a century old. Somehow this fine old building has managed to survive when most others across the province have not and today it’s being cared for by a couple who call it their home. It sits exactly where...
This trail takes us to the end of a ridge overlooking the town of Sparwood BC. The route is a mix of old logging and coal mine exploration roads and oftentimes steep and rough ATV tracks, and doesn’t appear in any hiking books or guides. We’re the first, as far...
The GMC motorhome, like the example seen in this report which was found right here in Calgary, is a real interesting beast. It’s a futuristic home on wheels built in the 1970s that amazingly looks quite up to date even today. Popular with retro-RV enthusiasts there are a surprising number...
One often finds Bolers, and trailers of other makes, motorhomes and old cars, parked in warehouse and factory back lots. Employees will often take advantage of available parking spaces at their workplace for this just this purpose. Case in point is the Mozzarella-white Boler seen here, parked in behind the...
This post has been updated and can be found here: Emerald Lake & Crowsnest Mountain. To see hikes we’ve done in the “Pass”, follow these links… Saskatoon Mountain. Crowsnest Ridge. Hillcrest-Mohawk #5. If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us! Date of adventure:...
This post has been updated and can be found here: Fort Museum Fort MacLeod Alberta. Some of our favourite then and now posts… Sleepee Teepee Blairmore Alberta. Main Street Slocan BC. Wrentham Alberta 25 Years Apart. If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact...
This 13 foot Boler, the most common type seen, is painted a very pleasant mellow yellow colour. Very nice! Found completely by chance, as is almost always the the case, it was seen while we drove around Calgary on some errands. The date of this find was July 2014. Forgive...
The hiking trail described here takes you up to the Kananaskis Fire Lookout and is a fairly easy affair. A wide track, it gains elevation ever so slowly. Deep in the trees most of the way, there is nary a view until the goal is reached. Admittedly it’s not the...
If you like old cars, trucks, farm machinery and equipment, Saskatchewan is the place for you. No matter where one travels within its borders, there is always an endless parade of vintage vehicles to be seen, each begging to be photographed and documented. It’s a literal playground for those who...
You don’t often think of RVs as being sexy but if there ever was one that fit that description, it’s the Vixen Motorhome. Provocative in both name and appearance, this rare model dates from the mid to late 1980s. We’ve been documenting strange and usual campers, motorhomes and travel trailers...
Here’s a rather rare sight these days, a wooden grain elevator, still in use, sitting along a prairie branch line that still sees trains. Twenty years ago this would be nothing unusual, but today, in times of grain company consolidations, mergers and closings and the wholesale abandonment of lightly used...
The Canadian Pacific Railway’s massive Lethbridge Viaduct, or High Level Bridge as it’s more often called, is over a century old and is a holder of many North American and World records. Most noteworthy, it’s the highest and longest steel railway trestle on the planet. A sight to behold, it’s...
With both Connie and myself feeling a bit under the weather, we decided that a short n’ easy hike was in order this day. Fitting the bill was Jumpingpound Loop in the Sibbald area of Kananaskis. It’s a not a terribly exciting outing, there are few places where the trail...
Trillium trailers today are made at Team Trillium Manufacturing in Calgary. At least they were up until very recently – the company has been forced to move and has not yet found a new location. In addition to making “Outback Trilliums” as they are called, they repair all manner of...
This post has been updated and can be found here: Along the Crowsnest Sub (w Greg McDonnell). More railway fun… The Sidewalks of 10th Ave S Cranbrook. Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions #41. Wandering The Alberta Central Railway Museum. The Bawlf Incident. If you wish more information on what you’ve seen...
Our goal this glorious blue sky day was to find and photograph the cemetery scene location from the film Legends of the Fall. It was not an easy task. The site is obscure and undocumented, although we had a rough idea where it was located, and we knew that given...
We used to do something called the "pointless challenge" 🤪 and miss those days. It was so much silly fun and often frustrating as heck. In these we'd invite people to send in random photos of obscure locations, but not give any information, and then we'd track where it was and shoot something similar.
Most of these came from old family collections, as was the case here. Anyone up to resurrecting the series?
In hindsight, why didn't we pose someone in our shot?
Pointless: “Devoid of meaning (or) senseless” Merriam-Webster.
If you like what we do and want to support this ongoing project (12 years now), go here: https://www.BIGDoer.com/help-the-society/ Thanks to Connie for making this post possible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: ca1970 and 2014. Posted by Connie.
Captured on a cold, cold day many years ago. We've been passing this old house for decades and it's little changed in that time. At some point we expect to drive by and it'll be gone.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
When retired old railway cars usually get cut up for scrap. Sometimes, however, they find their way into the hands of the general public or whomever. Flat cars make good bridges, and boxcars can be transformed into storage buildings and the like. Case in point here. We see them used like this often enough and in this case, it's part of a corral.
Incidentally, this boxcar dates from 1950 and this was found by tracing the old road number, which is still visible.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
This central Alberta racetrack was never a commercial operation but instead just a fun place for car enthusiasts in the area to get together. Early '70s or thereabouts and it only lasted a few years. Even thought it's been abandoned for that long, there is no doubt what was here.
You know we like the the obscure stuff and this one fits the bill perfectly. Found by accident while backroad cruising and the history comes thanks to local car guy Mike.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
On top of little Myrtle Mountain in the Kimberley (BC) Nature Park.
There's some good wilderness fun to be had here and nice views as you can see, but the real reason we came is mining history. The whole area near the ski hill was extensively worked over a century ago and we were looking for evidence of this. We didn't find much in the area searched, but it's a big chunk of property and we hope to return to cover more ground again soon. Of all the subjects we cover, mining related is a favourite.
Still, it was a good hike and that can't be bad. Look to the comments for more info 👇.
Exploring nature and history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Posted by Connie.
It's a strange curiosity in south Kananaskis, there on a hillside and we have no idea who created it. We asked around and no one's completely sure about its history. In the past it showed the Canada 100 logo from 1967 but in 2017 someone changed it to reflect the country's 150th.
That's our friend Emily from DanOCan.com having a look.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2017. Posted by Connie.
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