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Hello everyone, I decided to post about my first true urban exploration. There are a LOT of images that we (myself and my friend) snapped of the place, and so I hope I don't cause anyone grief with posting them all... So, the story so far (as much as we know at least): Sometime in the 1980s, there was a truck stop at the interchange of highways 2 and 27, east of the town of Olds, Alberta. On Google Earth, you can view the location at: 51 47'48.26"N, 114 01'38.56"W Near as we are able to tell, the place closed in about 2011 (although we found conflicting evidence that indicated possible partial closure in 2007 or 2008). The gas supplier pulled out due to "inappropriate business methods", but the restaurant and convenience store/gift shop apparently continued.
I first became interested in the site in April 2012, and convinced a friend of mine to make a stop so we could just peek through the windows. The immediately odd thing we noticed was that the fuel pumps were still powered on. The inside, from what we could tell, looked fairly clean and unmolested. On a return visit in April 2013, I observed that the power was still on to the pumps but the site otherwise looked untouched. I convinced my friend to come investigate this site with me this past October, and I was dismayed to find that the windows and doors were now boarded up with plywood. Curiously, a section of the former parking lot is now cordoned off with those huge concrete blocks and airplane cabling, about 16,000 square feet or so... The reason for the boarding up was evident soon enough; we wandered around to the back and found a partially-pried off board, behind which was a busted window and some of the storm bars removed. We immediately noticed that this led into a bedroom, and the light was on! The place had full electrical service, despite being closed for years.
My friend and I have made a total of 3 excursions into the building to take a look around, and what follows is a lot of photographs documenting our findings. The place had been somewhat vandalised by idiots tossing thermal paper like it was party ribbon around. Also, the glass walls enclosing the office were heavily smashed, leaving sharp shards of glass everywhere. Of particularly amusing/disturbing note was that the microwave oven in the kitchen had been used, and between our visits we observed different cook times on the clock...grafetti was minimal; apparently someone felt it prudent to announce that Cole loves - well, nevermind . The place is in very good condition; minor damage can be found in one bathroom stall. The basement had some of the drywall removed for some apparent reason, and we found soda pop taps leading down behind the wall to an alcove. The shower stall had some Head & Shoulders in it, but the water pressure was shut off.
Anyways, pictures galore ensue. Also, a minor website showing the site in question:
http://www.wanderi...s-station-olds-ab/
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Thorough. I really like the old restaurant booths, my favourite shot is probably #7 with the coffee cup and blinds.
reduxzero - DrainsofmyCity | |
Yeah, that coffee cup wasn't there on our final expedition to the location. We went back to actually try to make it harder for people - including us - to get (back) into the site.
I wish I could comment or annotate the pictures I posted somehow...
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Cool place, but I could never justify the drive just to see this place on it's own. When was your last trip there?
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The last time we were there was around November 20, 2014.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Bit of an update as of February 3, 2015.
The place had been re-entered since we last were there, as evidenced by the damaged block heater outlet that was used as a stepping stone to regain entrance. I also found my crescent wrench laying exactly where it had fallen out of my pocket back in November.
The efforts my friend and I made to deter any further incursions into the property were overcome by, well, vandalism (damaging the door).
The power had been turned back on, but only a few breakers this time. Minimal lighting in certain areas and, interestingly, the coolers in the kitchen were powered up and running full tilt, but were acting as heaters instead of refrigerators (room temperature inside, the rest of the building was about -11C give or take). Also, someone had turned on the heat lamp in the kitchen and left it on. We gave up trying to reseal the place, as it didn't appear overly vandalised from the previous trip (door damage notwithstanding). We turned the heat lamp off as it was a minor fire hazard, and we'd prefer this place not burn to the ground.
Conclusions as we left were that the building is used as an occasional shelter for squatters, or runaways from the nearby town of Olds, or drug users, or criminals. We couldn't really determine much more than that.
We left, not bothering with shutting the breakers back off this time around, nor were we particularly concerned with making it inaccessable.
No footprints in the snow were around the building; we surmise that sometime shortly after the new year was when anyone had been to the premises.
We plan to return when the snow melts for what will probably be a final foray into the building and property (an all-day excursion) in an attempt to glean any information about why it closed, and why Exxon Mobil has blockaded a section of the parking lot off...
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Well, we returned once more yesterday (i.e. March 3). We found inside....a digital tape machine that, suspiciously, wasn't in view before. Sadly, there were no recorded messages for us. A glass door had recently been smashed in with a cinder block, how wonderful. We also ventured into the attic space, which is quite substantial, but dangerous for at least 3 reasons (wires haphazardly everywhere, questionable sturdiness of the beams, and dark corners). I found a camera that had fallen to the floor, it had previously been attached to the wires coming out of the ceiling almost directly above. Sadly, the PVR seems to have disappeared long before we first made it inside. Nothing particularly new to report, except that there are more smashed fluorescent lamps (and hence less lighting), and that it seems that the place gets a little more abused/vandalized each time we visit... It'll probably burn to the ground before too long, unfortunately.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Excellent write up, magnum opus!
god created the au/mc to test the faithful. | |
Thanks.
The mystery deepens. It seems that Exxon Mobil owns the blockaded-off section where the former parking lot was, and not the property with the actual gas station and building.
Frigging weird.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
We went back on 31 March 2015, since the snow has now melted away. Our focus this time wasn't the 2-27 but rather the property to the south, which we've since learned was indeed an Esso gas station that was demolished in 1994 (called "Doug's Esso", apparently). We did some looking around the site, and found some survey markers. We also came across some metal covers in the ground that, when removed, indicated PVC piping heading into the ground with a number, such as "MV 07". Scattered around were a half dozen orange pipes that stood some 3 and a half feet and had locked metal covers on them. Finally, off in the corner I found a concrete base that had been dug out of the ground and had two bolts and what looked like BX electrical cabling. It was likely the mount for the tire pump compressor. Four of the pictures I took thusly: 1.
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Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Posted by Darendor We went back on 31 March 2015, since the snow has now melted away. Our focus this time wasn't the 2-27 but rather the property to the south, which we've since learned was indeed an Esso gas station that was demolished in 1994 (called "Doug's Esso", apparently). We did some looking around the site, and found some survey markers. We also came across some metal covers in the ground that, when removed, indicated PVC piping heading into the ground with a number, such as "MV 07". Scattered around were a half dozen orange pipes that stood some 3 and a half feet and had locked metal covers on them. Finally, off in the corner I found a concrete base that had been dug out of the ground and had two bolts and what looked like BX electrical cabling. It was likely the mount for the tire pump compressor. Four of the pictures I took thusly:
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Did you check the answering machine on your last visit?
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Considering that we were there to investigate the other property, no. But, in fact, yes - we did take a quick tour of the existing building. The basement foundation appears compromised in that the snowmelt has partially flooded in through various locations, and for some strange reason there's numerous houseflies dying. The "answering machine" was still there and still plugged in (into the power, not a phone line). Sadly, there remained no messages. We were briefly freaked out by a door that had opened itself while we were there, and every now and again the wind made vague "thump" noises.
But I reiterate: We were looking at the former Esso site and trying to determine more information. And, as usual, we were largely unsuccessful...
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Posted by Darendor The "answering machine" was still there and still plugged in (into the power, not a phone line). Sadly, there remained no messages. We were briefly freaked out by a door that had opened itself while we were there, and every now and again the wind made vague "thump" noises.
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Hopefully it's okay if I copped your locales, but I was there about a week before your last visit. The squatter remnants and wind thumping add an interesting spooky vibe to the place. My buddy and I got freaked out when we were leaving and the light under the entrance door went out. I wonder what the Chinese owners have been up to? Also, that was a nice note you left ;)
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I don't mind at all. What do you make of the Chinese signage posted everywhere? It is kind of tragic that this place just sits with the power on.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Heh, leave a message on the answering unit next time you go back, and check for a message from me. o_O
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Posted by Darendor Heh, leave a message on the answering unit next time you go back, and check for a message from me. o_O
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If I head back, I definitely will!
Posted by Darendor I don't mind at all. What do you make of the Chinese signage posted everywhere? It is kind of tragic that this place just sits with the power on.
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It feels potentially like the owners could have been the ones squatting in the building shortly after it closed. Maybe that's reading into the situation a little too much though.
Apparently the Chinese signage is pretty standard fare. The markings on all the doors is the symbol for "Double Happiness". The writing is all Cantonese, and the characters on the exit door, power box, and other random places are not simplified Chinese characters.
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The "double happiness" symbol was the red one on the bedroom door, right? Also, I can't help but wonder about the message in Cantonese (the one printed out that is in a plastic sleeve on all doors and windows). It almost seems like a ward against evil spirits... When I plug it into Google Translate I get something like " on the eve 227 the jade man dances in stagnation". Such a bizarre place. Did you find the children's toys in the one bathroom? Also, if you go downstairs you will find shag carpeting on the pillars and soundproof panels along the south and east walls. The drywalling has also been partially torn off of the studs.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Posted by Darendor The "double happiness" symbol was the red one on the bedroom door, right? Also, I can't help but wonder about the message in Cantonese (the one printed out that is in a plastic sleeve on all doors and windows). It almost seems like a ward against evil spirits... When I plug it into Google Translate I get something like " on the eve 227 the jade man dances in stagnation". Such a bizarre place. Did you find the children's toys in the one bathroom? Also, if you go downstairs you will find shag carpeting on the pillars and soundproof panels along the south and east walls. The drywalling has also been partially torn off of the studs.
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Yep, the Double Happiness are the red ones. The writing is apparently very FOB, and the only thing my friend (fluent Cantonese speaker) could make out on the plastic sleeves is that it is something about night time. You probably aren't far off on the spirit ward theory. Children's toys in the bath room were definitely weird. Also super random to have three developed washrooms in an undeveloped basement and the dog house behind the building. If only we could go back in time and see the place in operation.
[last edit 4/21/2015 4:35 AM by nicknolte - edited 1 times]
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So if they are "spirit wards", then why would they "ward" a deserted truck stop? There's nothing of value there, really, aside from....what? The 1970s cigarette dispenser and the milkshake machine (which may or may not have been placed on its side by me and my friend to hinder break-ins). It sounds far out but I've often pondered if there's more than meets the eye going on there. We've found evidence of dome cameras that were mounted at one time and we found where the PVR was (the manual can still be found in the kitchen). If you take a loot outside at the northeast corner you can see some kind of semi-primitive "wifi" router on the roof, and there is a Bell dish on the south roof. It makes me wonder if the power was left on to remotely monitor the place after it was closed, but again, to what purpose? Olds county has been less than useful in telling me the history about the place. It's like pulling teeth to try to get a picture of it from the 1980s. Google Earth goes back to 2003 for an overhead view, but all that really shows is the propane tank when it was still open.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci | |
Land title pull indicates weird information. More info later today...
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo da Vinci |
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