Brief Stop in Alsask

As we often do when we’re on the road we’ll stop and explore small towns along the way. One never knows what they’ll find, some disused building to photograph perhaps, a cool old car sitting out on some empty lot, or maybe something else worthy of attention. Heck, we’re easily entertained so nearly anything can capture our imagination – and please make sure you stay curious with us. So here, in Alsask Saskatchewan, it’s a not all that old transit bus and an historic hotel scheduled to be demolished that soon after our visit was no more.

The bus comes from the firm Champion, a make prior to seeing this example that was unknown to us. They’re not that common up this way for sure. It appears this one is a CTS model, of fairly recent vintage (correction and update: a “SoLo” model from the late ’90s), ex-Medicine Hat Alberta Transit retired by the agency perhaps a decade or so ago. What we thought was a water theme, was in fact a flame theme, reminding us the vehicle was fuelled by natural gas. Thanks everyone for cluing us in. Medicine Hat transit had ten of this model, all long gone now, with two lost to fires. What’s in its future is a mystery. Maybe a motorhome conversion? Update: it was listed for sale and as of a month ago appears to be gone. The bus sat on land which was formerly part of the town’s business district.

And at the end of the street, the doomed Alsask Hotel, dating back to the 1910s/1920s era (info is spotty), closed for the last decade or so and now but a memory. It was bulldozed not long after our visit. And with that, a heartbreaking loss. It’s another once successful business in once happening small town now gone. These dreams dashed and endless struggles.

This same weekend…
Old Jack’s Collection (1) .
Old Jack’s Collection (2) .

Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts planned or not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found. Or sometimes we just ramble on about Lord knows what.

If you need any more information on what we talked about here, by all means contact us!

Date of adventure: August, 2018.
Location: Alsask, Saskatchewan.

In Alsask Saskatchewan, this “Champion” Bus.

This bus make is new to us.

It’s a “SoLo” model

Many buildings used to stand here.

The old hotel, demolished soon after our visit.