Friday at the Calgary Stampede

After a 7 hour trip from Donnelly to Red Deer, basically encompassing all of Thursday July 7th, we were spoiled with hospitality and great food at Bob and Perri's again!  They have traveled quite a bit in Central America, and we were happy to view some of their travel books - quite adventuresome, these two!  One of my favorites to hear about was Guanajuato, or "Hill of Frogs" - a city designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it boasts a wealth of history and culture due to the wealth of the nearby silver mine.  Most of its roads are underground! For more, see  Guanajuato

I spent the rest of the evening researching how best to get to the Stampede - think the Big E on fairgrounds in downtown Boston.  Decided to park at a commuter rail lot and take the Calgary equivalent of the "T" in.  Of course the lot was full, so we parked at a nearby mall and hiked in.  Waited in what looked like the obvious (long) line to catch a bus to the Stampede -there was no one around to ask and no signs - and everyone was dressed in ensembles with a Western flair - only to find out at the front of the line that this was for people who had gotten wrist bands - where and when?!  Anyway, we were directed to the adjacent rail station, for which there was, gratefully, no line, and headed into town.  Unlike Boston, however, the Calgary trains don't go underground, and each train we were on had to wait, with overflowing crowds, at traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.  At least the AC units were working!  until the ride home, anyway, when the train we were on broke down...

Well, we arrived at the Stampede somewhat fatigued from our commuting "ordeal."  Nothing a large cold Coca~Cola couldn't fix.  The Stampede is heavy on food and midway rides and, of course, the RODEO, with a variety of unexpected exhibits, like a Canadian Army tank and the cockpit of a fighter jet.  Also several buildings selling Western wear, and a casino.  Lots of raffles going on.  Concerts at night.  Sadly, the chuckwagon races don't start until 8 p.m. and we had to head out by then - flying home tomorrow.

Canadian Army tank

Jail wagon

The other side features a horse's musculature

Hats hats and more hats!  Yes, pink Stetsons

The view from the overhead ride - big brick building on right is the Grandstand - think rodeo!

Calf roping at the Grandstand

Fried Snickers bar - sinfully delicious!

Poutine:  Canadian favorite of French Fries and gravy, and more!

Fried food offerings

Well, the Stampede was a great end to our Alberta adventure; if only the adventure ended there!  Saturday found us at the Edmonton Airport, where we were unhappy to learn that our Delta flight to Minneapolis was delayed so long that we couldn't make the connecting flight to Boston.  Randy at the Delta counter spent more than 45 minutes trying to get us home.  Well, after 13 hours at the airport (no meal vouchers, thanks Delta) with very little to do (I read Dean Koontz' Odd Thomas, an 11-hour read), we took a 1:25 am red-eye flight to Montreal via Air Canada - BTW, their seats are more spacious than Delta.  Followed by 2 hours in lines to go through Customs, including an extra stop at the agricultural inspector because we had visited a farm.  Finally, a one-hour puddle-jumper on a "prop-job" to Boston - beautiful scenery en route.  Thanks to Uncle Rollie for picking us up, and for having spent Saturday washing and cleaning out the car so we would have a better experience on the ride home.  BTW, Uncle Rollie speaks very highly of the convenience of the new Cell Phone Lot at Logan.

And thanks to Uncle Rollie, Joe and Linda for all the work done around the yard while we were gone!  Dad was thrilled! 

Au revoir!