This morning we were so glad for a late start even though the day didn't end till 1 AM! I took Rudy for a long walk , got the RV straightened up a little and did some laundry. We boarded the bus around 10 to go into the stampede. Skies were threatening but we kept our fingers crossed and prayed. The campground has dog sitters and Rudy has been well taken care of while we are gone. He gets long walks and they bring him treats. The manager's son and daughter come around and meet each dog before they start taking care of them. There are 3 Adventure caravans, one Good Sam and 2 Canadians caravans in here, so they have quite a large group to walk. Their mother said the money is going into their college funds.
Denny and I, along with a few other couples decided to spend the few hrs before the rodeo touring the Native Indian Village. It was quite large with about 25 or so tipi's. They were each decorated as the owner saw fit and were very creative. Lots of demonstrations on baking, cooking, weaving and beading. So resourceful. After that we went to lunch and the rodeo. We had so much fun at the rodeo. Since we were there the day before and knew what the judges were looking for and also recognized some of the cowboys, it was a lot of fun. After the rodeo, we had another couple of hours to kill so we ambled off to some of the exhibits. Several of the men, including Denny, wanted to watch the tractor pull---BORING!!! It was like watching paint dry. We did watch the cowboys do cattle penning and that was neat. There were several groups of 3 cowboys or girls and a herd of 30 cattle. The cows were numbered in groups of 3, 1 thru 10. Then when the flag was dropped, one group of cowboys would go after which ever number the announcer called out and they would try and round up all 3 cows with that number and herd them into a pen within 5 minutes. It was fun and exciting. After that, we just went back to join our group for the evening's festivities.
Our dinner that night in the Clubhouse was a buffet of Prime Rib, baked chicken, pork chops, salmon and meatballs with a huge vegetable, salad and dessert bar. We all ate till we were sick. No time to sit back however, as we were off to the chuck wagon races. Talk about fast paced and exciting. There were 9 heats with 4 wagons in each heat. Besides the wagon and driver, each had 4 outriders. When the whistle blew, the outriders had to throw a barrel into the back of the wagon, mount their horses and make sure they came in at least 150' behind their particular wagon . The track was about 1 1/4 miles long. After that, we saw the most amazing grandstand act EVER!!! It was bigger and better than any act we have ever seen in Las Vegas. Over 195 Canadians plus several big named Canadian stars. We didn't recognize them, but the crowd did and they were good. There were magicians, tumblers, high wire acts (I didn't watch), motor cyclers jumping and flipping over ramps and singers and dancers. One act was 2 large wheels rotating over and over and this nut inside walking on top , skipping rope and doing a lot of other tricks I couldn't watch. The finale with the fireworks was spectacular. They were all in red and white (Canada's colors) and went on and on and on. They had every type imaginable and were stretched out the length of the track. Spectacular. When it was over, no one realized it was midnight. We were all so afraid we would be tired but were so pumped after that show we forgot how late it was.
By the time we got back to the bus and the RV park, it was 12:45. Within 5 mins of getting back, the rain started. Perfect sleeping weather and our WM said we didn't have to leave until noon. Yay! Calgary has been great and our campground was so nice. We will probably stay here again on our way home.
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