Our original intention was to summit Mt Hoffmann, a modest size bump in the front ranges up the Sheep River valley. An error in navigating however takes us to an outlier, not a bad destination in itself. While at the top, we take cover and bid our time as storm...
A mix tape is a compilation of music. Our mix tape is in article form and includes subjects like food we bring on the trail, a famous BC ghost town, a small coal mine and a lineup of ancient railway boxcars 1) Located in a rugged and narrow mountain valley...
The Glenmore Reservoir is an urban oasis and home to many parks and an extensive pathway system. In spite of being almost surrounded by the city its a great place to get away from it all. You can picnic, hike, bike, blade, sail, canoe, horseback ride, kite fly or bird...
The CPR’s Crossfield Subdivision was one the last lines constructed during the great prairie branchline building boom and less than 50 years later, it was one of the first to be abandoned. Many would agree that this line should have never been built in the first place and it’s doubtful...
Not one but two large mining shovels, along with the bucket of a third can be seen at the Diplomat Mine interpretive site near Forestburg Alberta. These massive machines represent some of the last of their kind and are historically significant. Also shown in the report is an old dragline...
The Coleman Collieries coal processing plant can’t be missed. Clearly seen from the highway, or from nearly anywhere within town, the massive blue complex looms over a forgotten and quiet section of Coleman. Long abandoned, it’s the last of it’s kind in the area and there are rumours it will...
It’s the early 1860s and the word in the hills is that there is gold on the Wildhorse. A mad rush ensures and the town of Fisherville is born. Situated at the end of the Dewdney Trail deep in southeastern BC, this was once a rip roaring town with many...
This year is a first for us and I believe we’ve documented more Trillium trailers while playing the Boler spotting game, than we have Bolers themselves. Not unusual I guess since the former has been manufactured over a longer period of time. Because they are so Boler-like however, we’ll include...
Potpourri is a blend of scents but it’s also a term for an interesting mixture of things, Today’s potpourri report includes short articles on an old fire truck, an even older airport, a grain elevator and a trail deep in the southeastern BC Rockies. 1) Like nearly every town in...
The steam locomotive seen here has sat abandoned for over 100 years. Used in construction of the CPR’s famous Spiral Tunnels that bypassed the problematic “Big Hill”, when this project was completed the engine was simply left behind. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, this Mogul (Whyte...
Nearly indistinguishable from its American counterpart the Northern Telecom Model 500 is by far the most common rotary telephone seen in Canada. Every household from the 1950s until the 1980s seemed to have one (all my friends parents did). And most like this one, were black. Based on the US...
This trip, our third up to the Barrier Lake Fire Lookout, we make a loop using the Jewel Pass and Stoney trails. A nice change of pace from the normal point to point route. this way is a tad longer and offers some nice new and exciting views along the...
Today’s selection includes mountain vistas, coal mining remnants, old pickups and even older airplanes, along with a charming small prairie town bank. Each soup posting will showcase random pictures taken from our adventures. 1) This is the view from the Powderface Creek hiking trail looking to Nihahi Ridge, a long...
Trillium: A flower with three large leaf shaped petals and an official symbol of the province of Ontario. It’s also a cute little trailer. Trillium trailers are certainly the most common of the Boler look-alikes, but under close examination it’s very easy to determine which you are looking at. The...
The Happy Trails pathway system in High River Alberta reaches to every corner of town and it’s a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Paved, with a few sections on the road, one can take a leisurely stroll, or a long bike ride. For my trip, I...
These images, scanned from 35mm prints taken in 1997, show a little bit of the rail line in and around the old coal mining town of Nordegg Alberta. Some pictures from this series have gone missing in the years since, however you can still get an idea of what the...
One day is hardly enough time to explore the Pioneer Acres Museum in Irricana Alberta. There are many exhibits for all to enjoy, but of particular interest to guys is the extensive collection of trucks, tractors and other pieces of machinery. It’s just mind boggling how much they have, some...
Given the names in the area – Devil’s Gap, Phantom Crag and the Ghost Lakes – one might think it best to avoid this place, especially so near Halloween. In spite of the spooky names and sometimes dark history, one is treated to a nice hike along with some incredible...
Queenstown Alberta is a forgotten place, just a mere dot on the map in the middle of nowhere. Located on a gravel back road and along an abandoned railway line, not many pass through this prairie settlement and for those who do, it just takes one blink and they’ve missed...
The namesake flower on their sides is one of the most obvious spotting features of a Trillium trailer. However, there are others that can help them stand out as well, including the squarish front window. On Bolers it is more rounded. This example was being used by a vendor at...
Based on the American made Western Electric 55X series rotary wall phone, this example represents the Canadian made equivalent. Produced by ITT in Canada either for of under sub-licence to Northern Telecom, these are generally indistinguishable from their US counterparts. This style is also equivalent to the well known and...
This particular then and now series was a complete accident. The first image shows machinery at the Greenhill Coal Mine in Blairmore Alberta, in the Crowsnest Pass, in 1924. The second, taken in 2012, almost duplicates the first. What’s really interesting is that is the later was taken without the...
Because of their small size and maneuverability, Boler trailers can often found tucked away in backyards when not being used. A definite plus, this means they don’t need to be placed in an expensive paid storage lot, nor do they need to take up space on the driveway. This “backyard...
Of the three possible routes to the summit of Jumpingpound Mountain, we choose the longer and more scenic north approach. The trail snakes its way up to the top, a broad and flat open ridge which can be followed for a number of kilometres. It’s a wonderful ridge walk! This...
Tent Mountain was not only the last coal mine operating in the Crowsnest Pass, it was also one of the largest. Situated near the Alberta/BC border, portions of it were in either province. Production ended in the early 1980s and this closed the book on mining in The Pass. After...
While exploring an area north of Lethbridge Alberta we came across the Big Pink Trailer. This beauty, known as a Country Clipper (Country Clipper 24), was made by the Clipper Coach Company of Ilderton Ontario. Quite large, the design has graceful lines and with it’s riveted aluminium construction looks almost...
Spotted just outside the Rum Runner Pub in Coleman Alberta (yummm nachos), this little Boler looks so tiny compared to the truck pulling it. But it’s that small size that gives them a huge advantage – unlike most other trailers they can be parked nearly anywhere and they are so...
This is part two of our adventure where we bike in to explore the ghost town of Lille Alberta in the Crowsnest Pass. For part one, we discuss the trail and one of the mines seen along the way in. For this report, we cover some, but not all of...
Starting near the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, this bike trip takes us through a maze of roads. paths and ATV trails to the ghost town of Lille Alberta. Along the way, we pass by the remains of a coal mine, mine #1 of the West Canadian Collieries Ltd. Lille operation....
Smallville High School has changed very little over the years and from the 1970s when the Superman movie was filmed here to today one would be hard pressed to find many differences. See for yourself. The big field has been altered a bit and the school grounds have a new...
Chris rushed in excitedly and showed me this comparison, but after a short pause, his look changed. It's that confused expression one gets just before the face-palm, when they realize something they did just doesn't add up.
One year shy of a century separates the two images but as it turns out, they're not even of the same building. The top is Westmount School and the bottom McDougall School, both in Edmonton and not far from each other.
It took this long to realize we'd been shooting at the wrong place all this time! The two schools were built in the same year and very close in design, so it's still an interesting comparison. We had a good laugh and we'll give Chris a mulligan on this one.
Looks like we're going have to head back for a do-over.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photos: 1924 and 2023. Submitted by Connie.
It's amazing how many of these Canada Centennial Maples Leafs still exist out in the wild across the prairies. We could fill an album with the ones we've photographed. It seems rural folks embraced patriotism with more fervor than their urban counterparts, but that's just an observation.
This example was found in a small Saskatchewan town. When they placed this up above the community hall there was a certain optimism that's not seen now. Today, only a handful of people call the community home, and it's that close to being a true ghost town. Almost sixty years in place and this memorial to a 100 year celebration is still here.
If our readers have found any of these while out exploring, please share in the comments. We'd love to see them.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2014. Submitted by Connie.
Billy Clark’s Cabin in Meadow Creek BC and it dates back over a century. Now at the local museum it formerly stood in a valley a little to east and on the shores of Duncan Lake (now Ducan Lake Reservoir).
Billy was a trapper, hunter, and woodsman. All he had was this tiny log house, a small plot of land, the surrounding wilderness, and his wits for survival. Nothing more. That spirit of self reliance seems to be a lost art today.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2022. Submitted by Connie.
Both Chris and I both grew up in the malaise era for cars and get giddy when we spot one from that time out in the wild. It's like meeting an old friend. This '80s beauty was found out in a hiking area of Kananaskis and by all appearances, looks to be driven regularly.
The malaise era is marked by cars with uninspired design, quirky traits, hobbled performance and often questionable quality. Depressing stuff. This Cutlass is probably one of the better GM cars of the time, and both Chris and our son Will have owned examples in the past.
Have a malaise era story or photo to share? Post it in the comments!
Out in nature with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2023. Submitted by Connie.
We come over many rises on a the prairies and on doing so surprised by many interesting things. This one caused a double take.
This lonely locomotives sits at the then very end of track outside Leader SK and was out of service at the time. Guess they socked it away out of sight to forget about it. We found photos showing it in service the year before our visit but here it was cold and dead.
Since this photo was taken, the Great Sandhills Railway has extended the track across the road and set up some kind of transloading operation. In years passed, the track (under CP ownership) continued west all the way into Alberta, but that's a distant memory.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Photo: 2014. Submitted by Connie.
The messages have been coming fast and often. No, the book we produced a couple years back is not being published after all, in spite of appearing on many websites recently. Oddly some are showing it with the cover from another volume altogether. Please don't order and it must be a glitch.
The other two books shown in our capture are available however (and are awesome) and were produced by some friends. Interestingly, Chris contributed to each and those you can order.
Exploring history with Off the Beaten Path with Chris & Connie. Submitted by Connie.
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