HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
We were a little quieter on our ride into Calgary this morning. This was our 2nd early morning and while we were anticipating a fun day, most of us were not use to functioning this early (7:30 am) two mornings in a row. However, as we approached the town, we became more energetic and excited to start our day.
Our first stop was the Calgary Tower. It rose high in the sky in what appeared mid-town. Swallowing my fear, we rode the elevator up to the viewing tower along with everyone else. The elevator took us 525 ft. in the air and gave a fantastic panoramic view of Calgary. It also had a glass platform that extended out above the street. Only the brave at heart walked out and looked down at the street below there feet. Not me!!
A pancake and bacon breakfast was anticipated by many, especially those who had no breakfast, so off we went. After a short walk, we came upon several different areas where mini-kitchens were set up to serve hot pancakes and bacon. As soon as one was eaten, most of us returned to the back of the line and had another and another and another. Pretty tasty and we were hungry!
The town had a street fair atmosphere, with lots of vendors and a fiddling family entertaining at one end of the street and square dancing at the other end. Very festive!
We were also able to tour the Glenbow Museum and many took advantage of the opportunity. Inside, there was one floor with beautiful art work, which were separated into 3 large areas: Historical, Asian and Vistas. Impressive and the only disappointment were there were no prints of some of the paintings to purchase. On the third floor, was a really neat display of First Nation Heritage. A great deal of information on the way they built and lived in their tipi’s, their clothing, food, daily activities and some of the most beautiful bead work. Very innovative and practical applications were applied to the basic fundamentals of daily living.
After the museum, we boarded our bus for a short ride to Calgary Stampede Park and the rodeo. It reminded us of the way our State Fair use to be when we were much, much younger. The mid-way was full of rides, games and some neat eating areas. Lunch was on our own, and I enjoyed a Cowboy Beef Sundae, which sounded intriguing. It was a cup of creamed potatoes, barbecue beef topped with cheddar cheese and a cherry tomato. Pretty good and different from anything I have had for a while. Denny enjoyed a sausage sandwich with peppers and onions. It was time to make our way to the grandstand and the rodeo!
We had great seats and really enjoyed the different rodeo events: bucking broncos, calf roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and the cutest of all, little children doing the wild pony rides. It gave us an orientation for tomorrow’s events.
After the rodeo, we had some time before we were to meet back at the bus and we all scattered in different directions. Because the clouds looked very threatening and the wind was blowing pretty hard, we elected to head back to the bus. Fortunately, we made it back before we had a short shower. Soon everyone returned and we made our way back to the campground with several people observed napping J
Back at the campground, everyone went his or her separate ways. We had our first really strong thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightening. It was a good time to rest and get ready for a really full day tomorrow.
A day that was fun, exhausting, interesting and informative. In other words-- quite an Adventure!
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