We finally got the opportunity to experience the infamous
Calgary Stampede that we've heard so much about since moving here.
It was eerily similar to the Houston Rodeo and despite some obvious differences between Canada and the US, we are continuing to discover how similar the cities of Houston and Calgary are. Calgary transformed into stampede-mode almost over night, and we discovered that during Stampede,
everyone is a cowboy...
Matt and I, of course, didn't want to feel left out, so we both invested in some cowboy boots. We didn't purchase hats, but maybe next year. Throughout the week of Stampede, everyone got all decked out in their western gear and joined the celebration, wearing their boots, hats, denim and plaid everywhere, including work. This year was actually the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede.
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| Trying to get into the Stampede spirit... |
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| Not sure why Matt is wearing his bike helmet but you get the idea. |
The first night of the Stampede, Matt and I checked out the fairgrounds, where there was a big carnival. We rode a few rides and walked around to see what the stampede was all about. The people-watching was very entertaining. There was pretty much any kind of food you could want, including deep-fried Oreos and Twinkies. There were games, shows, horses, bulls, goats, and lots of parties. Matt and I agreed that we'd never seen so many cowboy hats in one city at one time before, not even in Houston during the rodeo.
The next day, we went to see some of the shows that were going on in the Saddle Dome. We got to see the mini chuck-wagon races, the heavy horse show, and the Stampede Show Riders.
After seeing some of the shows and walking the rest of the fairgrounds, we walked up 17th Avenue to get some dinner. 17th Avenue, otherwise known as
The Red Mile, consists mostly of bars and restaurants. During Hockey season, Flames' fans walk the red mile after games. During Stampede, the whole street becomes one big party. We grabbed dinner, a few drinks and then headed home. Each night, there were fireworks all throughout the city celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Stampede. One night, Matt and I rode our bikes to a bridge near our house to get a great view of the fireworks.
Our first Stampede experience was a success! Book your trips for next July for a good time! Yeehaw! (...or as they say in Calgary, Yahoo!)
It was eerily similar to the Houston Rodeo and despite some obvious differences between Canada and the US, we are continuing to discover how similar the cities of Houston and Calgary are. Calgary transformed into stampede-mode almost over night, and we discovered that during Stampede, everyone is a cowboy...
Matt and I, of course, didn't want to feel left out, so we both invested in some cowboy boots. We didn't purchase hats, but maybe next year. Throughout the week of Stampede, everyone got all decked out in their western gear and joined the celebration, wearing their boots, hats, denim and plaid everywhere, including work. This year was actually the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede.
The next day, we went to see some of the shows that were going on in the Saddle Dome. We got to see the mini chuck-wagon races, the heavy horse show, and the Stampede Show Riders.
After seeing some of the shows and walking the rest of the fairgrounds, we walked up 17th Avenue to get some dinner. 17th Avenue, otherwise known as The Red Mile, consists mostly of bars and restaurants. During Hockey season, Flames' fans walk the red mile after games. During Stampede, the whole street becomes one big party. We grabbed dinner, a few drinks and then headed home. Each night, there were fireworks all throughout the city celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Stampede. One night, Matt and I rode our bikes to a bridge near our house to get a great view of the fireworks.
Our first Stampede experience was a success! Book your trips for next July for a good time! Yeehaw! (...or as they say in Calgary, Yahoo!)
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