Sunday, July 15th
It starts out cloudy and cool. I’m wearing a light jacket. What a difference from the record setting
heat we’ve had since we got together.
Today was an all-day Calgary Stampede Day; the final day
of perhaps one of the largest rodeos staged in North America. And for those that took the ten thirty bus in
the morning, a long day it was. Champions
were crowned in many typical rodeo events.
But the Calgary Stampede is much more than a rodeo. It’s a huge “state fair” with all the farming
exhibits, displays and presentations.
It’s a history telling event with entire buildings dedicated to
explaining the past of the stampede and Calgary itself. It’s an amusement park with some rides that
please you, some rides that thrill you and some rides that just simply scare
the “black tank contents” out of you.
The Stampede is a midway of all the table games, games of chance, games
of skill (if you can call it that) and other activities geared to separate the
attendee from his/her money. And
finally, it is an eating extravaganza developed to give the serious
nutritionist nightmares and delight the consumer. From corn dogs to deep fat fried Snickers bars,
every conceivable “Carney” eatery in between can be found. I elected to stay back at the coach during
the afternoon. After all, it’s not all
just fun. There are some chores that
have to be done when you’re on the road.
Daune and I joined the rest of the group for a very good
buffet dinner at the clubhouse located in the main arena. After dinner, it was the finals of the chuck
wagon races. Eight heats of four teams
each to pick the eventual winner. And
for that team, not a bad payday. The
winner took home a check for $100,000. But
due to heavy rains late in the afternoon, the arena resembled more of a mud bog
than a race track. Watching the event
came with a little intrepidation though.
In the preliminary heats earlier this week, an accident caused the death
of one of the horses and necessitated two others be put down right on the track. Not a pretty site for animal lovers.
 |
| Chuck Wagon Races |
The night ended with a grand finale of
entertainment. Dancers, singers, aerial
performers and the obligatory fireworks made for the perfect ending for this
nine day event. After which, it was back
on the bus for the hour long ride back to the campground. A long day as we arrived “home” at 1:00
am. Thank goodness there’s nothing
scheduled for early tomorrow morning.
 |
Evening Show
|
 |
Another part of the Evening Show
|
 |
Another part of the Evening Show
|
Submitted by: Rig #6
 |
| Daune & Chris |
No comments:
Post a Comment