Here are some pictures from our attempt on Wind Ridge. It’s a hike in Kananaskis I’ve been looking forward to for some time, but we missed our mark when an errant turn sent us astray. No big deal and we’ve gotten off track before and will likely do so again...
Chances are at one time or another you’ll get a flat while out biking. They always happen when you least expect it and they can be a real inconvenience. In this post we’ll show you how to repair the puncture and be on your way in a matter of minutes....
I am afraid time has blurred some of details of this event. It’s 1989 and I am living in the lower mainland and I recall finding out an Air France Concorde jet was due to land at Vancouver International Airport. We had to see that! By then it was a...
For all the hikes and summits we do, we also like to bike on occasion (not nearly enough in fact). With many parts of of Kananaskis closed completely due to flood damage and the few open trails in various states disrepair for the same reason, we decided to forgo that...
Another chance find, this Boler was spotted in July 2013, at the edge of a canola field as we biked the canal pathway that runs between Calgary and Chestermere. Located on the far side of a large property, obscured by a residence and no where near a public road, this...
With temperatures expected to be in the high 20s – the low 30s if you take into account the humidex – Connie and I felt it best not to tackle anything terribly strenuous. Neither of us handle heat well and so we picked an easy hike, something with not too...
Back in 1997 I was doing some delivery work for coal mines in the Sparwood BC area, bringing various mine truck spares in from suppliers in Calgary. On one trip I took time out to explore the Crowsnest Lake Cave. You may have seen this interesting geographical feature from the...
Some time ago I lived in Vancouver for a period of a couple years. I was working – a lot – and rarely took time off. On one of those days though, I found myself exploring the northern reaches of Burnaby. It’s a interesting place full of contrasts. The area...
A little oasis of green on the rolling prairies, Big Hill Springs Provincial Park is a fun place to explore. There is a natural spring, old creamery remains, wildlife and a short but pleasant hiking trail that takes you past it all, and up to the valley ridge above. Located...
For a time, in 1989 and 1990, I lived in Vancouver. Actually I did not live but rather I worked and did little else, sometimes seven days a week for months on end. It was a horrendous pace, a classic case of working harder NOT smarter. Occasionally, as I neared...
This adventure finds us in an area of Kananaskis we’ve never really explored before. Our destination is Mesa Butte, a broad grassy hill located in a sea of gently rolling ridges just west of Millarville. Our route not only takes in that summit, but also two separate ridges leading to...
With many parts of Kananaskis off limits or inaccessible due to the aftermath of record flooding, it was clear our hiking options were rather limited. The only open area was near the Sheep River west of Turner Valley, but there are certainly enough trails in an around there to keep...
This post has been updated and can be found here: CPR Bow River Bridge (Abandoned). They’re saying… ”…Chris & Connie do an amazing job on studying their subject matter.” Rik Barry (Time Air Historical Society). Keeping the theme (BC edition)… Big Eddy Bridge Revelstoke BC. Bridge Hunting: Brilliant BC. Three...
Languishing in a farmer’s field with a number of other trailers and boats, this little grey egg was found while we were out exploring random back roads and highways on the plains just east of Calgary. A large crack appears above the door and it looks like some repairs, rather...
Recent flooding in the region had us scrambling for a place a hike. Most of Kananaskis was off limits or inaccessible due to heavy damage from that event, leaving very few options open. With that in mind, Brown Lowery Provincial Park seemed like a good objective, a place we’ve been...
Unless you’ve been living on the moon you have no doubt heard about the floods that ravaged many parts of Alberta in late June 2013. Record rainfall and melting snow pack in the mountains unleashed a torrent of water with nearly every river and stream overflowing its banks. Many low...
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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