A back-to-the future trip to Vulcan
Posted Jul 7, 2011 4:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Boldly go where you may not have gone before.
Sitting in the heart of Vulcan County is the town of Vulcan, dedicated to the fictitious home of Mr. Spock from the long running T.V. show Star Trek.
Take a trip back to the future as you crawl through a fuselage of a hulking Lancaster bomber, stare at the prairie ruins of a World War 2 air training school before you tour the 9.5 metre long replica USS Enterprise in Vulcan.
Start heading south on highway 2 to Nanton. A charming prairie town that’s home to the Nanton Lancaster Society Air Museum which pays tribute to the southern communities that provided a base for training pilots during WW2.
While you’re driving through the town indulge in a slice of pie at the Wild Thyme Cafe.
From Nanton, go 29 kilometres east on Secondary 533 and then 2.5 kilometres south and east. You’ll pass vast farm lands, cross the Little Bow River and reach a half dozen dilapidated buildings on the bald prairie, with a perfect view of Little Bow Valley.
Those buildings are all that’s left of the RCAF Vulcan Aerodrome where more then 1,000 students received flight training for WW2.
From there, it’s another 13 kilometres east and north to reach Vulcan. The town actually housed most of the wartime pilot trainees but now celebrates the sharp-eared Spock from Star Trek.
You’ll have plenty to do in Vulcan exploring the replica USS Enterprise, where you’ll be greeted with crews in costume living long and prospering.
For more information check out these websites www.vulcantourism.com, www.lancastermuseum.com, and www.town.nanton.ab.ca
