Vulcan Alberta “Trek”

The hikes & summits category has been awfully quiet lately. Our apologies. If you’ve been following what’s happening here, Connie’s health issues for those not in the know, you’ll completely understand why. It’s been a tough few months, but things are taking a turn for the better and soon we figure we’ll be able to get back to one of our most favourite outdoor endeavours, that of a good walk or hike. Be it in town or out there in the wilderness it’s what we do. Till some new stuff is in the can, soon we hope, we’ve got a few adventures from earlier in the year, pre-Cancer storm, which we’ll post and share with you here.

One chilly April day, fresh snow on the ground and double that amount in the hills, finds the away team in Vulcan Alberta. We’re going to simply wander the town with no particular route or goal in mind. Just go this way and that. As it turned it was a most pleasant stroll with lots of interesting things passed and most of the town covered. When you visit, follow in our footsteps or do it freestyle. What works for you, it’ll be a blast. Now let’s get walking!

We parked off Whispering Drive, as good a place as any to start. Heading north intercept a pathway and turn left. Flanking the edge of a Golf Course, pass a cart access tunnel all chocked with ice, then quickly turn right. To the left is Vulcan’s tiny little airport. Pipers and Cessnas.

Switching sides pass the occasional kilometre marker and soon after the town cemetery. Here at the edge of Vulcan on the open plain, the wind blows fiercely. The sky’s a dull grey, surrounding fields similarly so and it all blends together into a featureless monotone world of drab. Over there some colour, a bright orange – a view of the town’s last wood grain elevator. Bend right (east). Pass behind some ball diamonds – it’ll be a while before the boys of summer show – then a cold and empty campground.

The path trends south. A Fiat 124 Spider hibernates, this here model in production from the 1960s-1980s (this one appears to be a early to mid-1970s example). Made in small numbers these weren’t well suited to the tough conditions in Canada which makes them particularly rare here. Still, a nice looking ride – don’t think my big frame would fit inside one though. A modern Fiat 124 is now being made.

Outdoor workout gear nearby shows no signs of use. And framed in the trees, that elevator, contrasting with that bleak sky.

On the pathway ending hit 3rd Street North and continue left. Now that’s a pink boat! Like the convertible just passed, that gym equipment, the ball diamonds and campground, it waits for warmer times with the snow long gone. Most lakes in Alberta (many just glorified sloughs) are too shallow for sail boats which usually have a deep draft.

Hitting 1st Avenue North, there’s a quick diversion left to view Vulcan’s last wood grain elevator. There used to be as many as nine of them here along this street – this one’s from the 1980s. How things change. These were all replaced by a couple huge inland terminals a bit south of town. A large storage yard across the road is home to some interesting vehicles. But they usually are.

South on 1st Avenue now, it’s left on Centre Street, crossing the tracks (no trains today). Our lunch stop is spotted, Mama’s Pizza next to the Vulcan Tourism and Trek Centre. They’re big into the Star Trek thing here, as you’ll soon see. Vulcan, the birth place of Spock. Get it? Actually the community was named after the Roman God of Fire. The Trek angle is used today and that brings in some tourists. Can’t blame them for doing what they can to get people to come. It’s not easy being a small prairie town.

Continuing on, south on creatively named “Service Road”, pass the Enterprise. At a little motel bend right and hit 1st Avenue again on crossing the tracks. Turn right and on arriving at Centre Street, just past the “solar elevators” turn left. You’re now in downtown Vulcan. And on our visit it was a virtual ghost town – not odd in these small communities on a Sunday. Take in some old buildings like the Vulcan Hotel, formerly the Imperial, built circa late 1910s/early 1920s we think. It’s the only place that seems to be open. Resist the urge to do a “beer parlour” stop. Next time we beam down. Over there Ice Cream Shop Spock. It’s a cheesy Trekkie heaven.

Continue on up to 5th Avenue North and turn left, then left again at 1st Street South. Look at all the quaint little houses dating back to the early days along this stretch. And some nice churches too. The fringe edge of downtown, right on 2nd Avenue then left on 2nd Street South. Seems the Post Office and car wash next door are keeping the theme too. That featureless sky – it’s sucks the life out of you quicker than wearing a red shirt on the original series. Right on 1st Avenue, pass the Seed Cleaning Plant, a specialized grain elevator. And there’s an old truck still on the job parked there. Trending left, the wind is biting. It’s April and we’re freezing as though in the very depths of winter. But it’s spring? Hope it’s better for you when you visit. Look for those big concrete grain terminals off in the distance. We loose sight of them in a snow squall.

Hit the pathway again and follow it west. Pass the hockey arena – now I can’t get that song out of my head – damn you Stomping Tom! An old school water tower over there supplies the town.

Close to the car but not ready to call it quits just yet, we turn hard right on Centre. Then it’s left on 7th Avenue, right on 1st Street North, left on 6th Avenue, oops wrong turn…backtrack, then left on 2nd Street North, then left again on 5th Avenue. Along here a vintage pickup still on the road (late 1970s Ford). Old work trucks are a common sight in small prairie towns it seems. Soon in rejoin the pathway and retrace your steps back to your ride. No sky, no shapes, no colour, no sounds, nothing. Just a sheet of white extending off to infinity itself. Yup, we’re back at the edge of town and it feels remote and lonely. Odd isn’t it how winter can do that? The sun tries to break through the clouds. Ha, it doesn’t stand a chance!

And we’re done. Fun, good food (Mama’s was yummy), so many things so see. Not a bad way to waste away a few hours. Now it’s your turn and be sure and tell us about it when you can.

Vulcan dates back about a hundred years and today is home to a couple thousand folks. Mostly it’s farming/ranching and the oil and gas industries that keep people employed here. They used to ship out more wheat from the area than anywhere else in Canada at one point. And still the grain flows.

Nearby…
CPR Demonstration Farm.

Winter walks…
Calgary’s Best Walks #20 (sorta).
High River Loop.
Urban Trek – Ogden Shops Loop.

If you wish more information about this trail, by all means contact us!

Date of adventure: A chilly April 2018.
Location: Vulcan, AB.
Distance: 10km or thereabouts.
Height gain maximum: NA
Height gain cumulative: NA

The away team makes a STOP in Vulcan Alberta.

And us without our skates.

Vulcan International.

With many more to go.

The lonely street lamp.

A bit of colour way over there.

Waiting for summer.

A chilly workout.

The pink boat’s for sale.

There used to be many more elevators here.

A home-brew road warrior?

Down some street.

Mr Frog’s taking it easy.

Vulcan’s along the CPR’s Calgary to Lethbridge Line.

To boldly go…to Vulcan Alberta!

Solar Elevators.

In downtown now.

Many prairie towns have/had a hotel like this one.

They’re really embracing this Star Trek thing.

Live long…and eat ice cream!

A charming little house.

The theme continues.

St Andrew’s Catholic.

Tweety and the Gargoyle.

A splash of colour on a dreary day.

The little grain elevator library.

A couple older vehicles on this street.

Fascinating…

Shuttle bays…

It was a dull depressing grey all day.

At the seed cleaning plant.

Bits from a rare Pierce Arrow.

The good ol’ hockey game.

A snow squall moves in.

Christmas reminders.

The clicks just fly by.

Still on the road.

There’s a lane under there…somewhere.

The sun tries to break through.

In back, a vast nothingness.

The adventure is soon to be over.

Now with even more Trek!

Our walking route…star is the start.