Here’s something right out of an old west movie, an ancient log cabin we had the honour to take in one fine winter’s day. We came to know it via a friend and this visit was to scope it out, gather some intel and plan a return for a more...
If we’re out somewhere and catch wind of a car show, we’ll make it a point to attend if we can. Who are we to resist the call of these vintage rides, all shiny and perfectly done up showroom new, with owners always willing to share a bit of history...
There’s a nice little paved pathway connecting Turner Valley to Black Diamond called the Friendship Trail. It affords one an easy stroll taking it in these two towns, which are not terribly far apart. While sometimes six clicks is enough of a walk (round trip), more often for us it’s...
The party’s in full swing, the fun and adventure seemingly limitless, then comes a sudden realization it’s all going to end soon. What…it’s almost over? Here’s the very last day of our (as we’re heard to say) “epic” Spanish adventure. For the last couple weeks, we toured historic sites, taken...
They demolished the building but for some reason left these odd remains behind, little hints of what was. Why in the world, when clearing away something so huge, would they fail to complete the job? No matter I guess. Do folks walking by headed to the trains ask, “what stood...
When it’s time for a break, sometimes a little stroll is just the prescription needed. It’s good for the mind and body, a way to unwind, rid one’s self of what ever problems are at hand and brings everything back into focus. No prescription drugs required, no alcohol, nothing difficult...
There’s a cool old building in South Calgary we’ve passed a gazillion times but paid little mind, even if we did think it interesting. Then one day, after seeing some century-old homes just a block over getting demolished, comes a cold hard reminder that nothing’s forever. Procrastinating is a slippery...
We’ve hiked the Glenmore Reservoir Loop many times before, occasionally during the warmer months but mostly come winter. There’s a nice pathway that circles the entire thing and much scenic variety. Sometimes it’s a very park-like setting, sometimes you’re along quiet city streets, next to a noisy trunk road (thankfully...
Occasionally when an adventure ends we have no choice but to rush home. But if we can, and it’s something we work hard towards, we’ll take it easy and doddle. Do the backroads, the byways, the side streets and take in places (wait for it)…”Off the Beaten Path”. The journey...
Here’s an exciting new concept that if well received we plan to do again and again. We’ll pick totally at random subjects from our extensive photo collection that have never seen the light of day publicly, be they good or bad, and post them here. And of course, we’ll drone...
The setting for this “then & now” is a quiet residential street in small town Alberta seen a century ago, and again present day. Admittedly it’s not the the most glamorous or spectacular subject we’ve ever picked for one of these posts. It’s just two rows of humble dwellings, in...
Here’s the first Boler posting of 2020, an overly dirty model b-1300 found completely by random in some south Calgary neighbourhood. Truth be told it was captured in late 2018, but as many of you know, we’re perpetually behind in getting these published. Keeping the lights on here at BIGDoer.com...
File this under obscure. Here we’ll be looking at the mostly complete inner workings of a coal mine hoist house and don’t worry, you’ll know more about that is in a moment. These massive chunks of metal were part of a sprawling coal mine, so big it extended for many...
As this is being written it’s currently a numbing -28c (-38c with windchill!) and it’s a safe bet that hiking is not on the minds of many in our local area. Well, maybe in distant dreams of summer…dear friend the sun, a warm breeze, trees, flowers and butterflies and a...
Those who follow our adventures know how much we love staying at old school motels/hotels when on the road. It’s not just due to budgetary reasons we do this (well, yes it is), but that we simply love the vibe. Heck, if we won the lotto tomorrow – and we’re...
Not all that long ago Greyhound Bus Lines owned the Western Canadian market when it came to intercity ground transportation for us humans. Their buses went nearly everywhere and business seemed to be doing fine. If there was a town of any reasonable size, it was probably served. Passenger volumes...
Flashback to a time with the world on edge…well, more so than usual. It’s memories of that crazy period called the Cold War, with two hated enemies facing off and each with a finger on the doomsday button. On one side, the side of good (if you were to ask),...
Here it’s a short diversion from what we usually document, a fun little piece touching on something we’re rather passionate about. Even if the subject is not the favourite with some of our readers (oh yeah, we hear about it), for Team BIGDoer it’s something big. We’re speaking of pinball...
Time for some vintage metal! There’s a number of brutish beasts here, work trucks, the stuff we like, all of it big, one over the top BIG, and all of it old. Show us something rugged and non nonsense and we’re in happy land. All but one of the trucks...
At every opportunity we take the back roads. That’s where the good stuff is. Even if in familiar territory, there always seems to be a surprise waiting for us around some corner when using this approach. It could be something new we missed before or a place known to us...
This one goes back a year or so, a rocky period for Team BIGDoer. At that time Connie was in the midst of her Cancer battle that would eventually have her losing an entire breast. With that we we’re limited in what we could do outside. But even with pain...
Sometimes we just like to do it for the fun and nothing else. For us. Case in point, this post where we pay a visit to an ordinary motel room that’ll be the focus of our attention today. What the heck? No, it’s not one we’ve booked for the night,...
In our fast paced world, sometimes we drop a couple gears and slow it down. In posts like this it’s not so much about what we see and photograph, nor the story behind them, but rather the simple and pure joy of getting out and roaming aimlessly. And if we...
This here post is dedicated to a friend, gone almost a year now, whose obsession in what we’ll be looking at here bordered on the crazy. In a most beautiful way. This fellow, name of Jim Pearson, had a thing for grain elevators…and it was on a grand scale. You...
For years now we’ve been going into local (to us) locations seen in the earlier Superman movies and showing what they look like today. We’ve long since visited most of the easily accessible sites and have been slowly chipping away at those which are harder to get to or appear...
Before anything, a huge thanks goes out the person who helped us with this here post. It’s to thee Coinoath Sarsfeld, low light photographer extraordinaire and super humble fellow, that we raise a toast. After dark of course under a magical night sky and alone at some abandoned farm on...
It was for many decades a Calgary Institution. Not just a place to get a prescription filled, no, it was much more. Picture it, an almost full on department store where one could purchase nearly anything their heart desired without having to drive all over town. A bottle of Tylenol,...
Capturing a Boler (Trillium, et al) on the move whilst driving is perhaps the most difficult challenge for those out hunting little fibreglass trailers. They’ll often come upon you quickly, almost always on the opposing lane, and rarely is the camera at the ready. So with that, capturing a “Highway...
Not all that long ago coal was king in the Crowsnest Pass. There we’re dozens of mines up and down the valley, with production peaking in the late 1940s. It was almost exclusively on these which the local economy relied but now tourism brings in the dough. It’s all quiet...
The clock’s ticking and our time in Spain running out, but still there’s much to do and see with zero reason to sit still. As we’ve been heard to say all too often, “we’re only on this planet for only so long and man, we’re getting our money’s worth…we’ll catch...
Kenopsia: "the eerie atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but now vacant or abandoned."
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Ghost Railways: Fort Macleod Alberta
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Berte George’s William’s Grocery Lethbridge
Rob Pohl & Arturo Pianzola:
Union Bay (Vancouver Island) Coal Wharf
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1 Day: Denman & Hornby Islands (BC)
Wilfrid Lambo:
Crossley Slides: A Corner in Erlton
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Ioco Port Moody BC (Ghost Town)
Anonymous:
Historic Fort Macleod After Hours
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Ghosts of the Crowsnest Subdivision
Franco Media:
Moose Jaw SK Train Station (~90 Yrs Apart)
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Kart World or Kart Gardens? (2014)
Ross Hamilton:
Prairie Sentinels: Cadillac Sask
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Dominion Bridge Calgary (Ramsay) ca1960-2014
John Kinnear:
World of F.E.A.R Figure-8 (Abandoned)
Dale:
Forgotten Coal Town Cemetery
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Royston Wrecks (Vancouver Island BC)
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Shandro Historic Village (Closed)
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