Allen & Linda USA 2012: July 2012

100^th CALGARY STAMPEDE

We had no idea until we arrived in Canada that we had tickets for the Centennial Calgary Stampede and what a show they put on for us.

Much to our amazement there were daily events scheduled all around Calgary from 6^th-15^thJuly.

Allen, Robert and I started our morning in Downtown Fluor Rope Square sniffing out the free breakfast wagons. We lined up with lots of other cowboys for a delicious bacon pancake and then lined up again for a second one!

While waiting in the queue we were entertained by the Flap Jack Flip Contest followed by the Hat Stomping Competition. These Canadians are almost as crazy as the Aussies.

We loved the Old Time Rigs and the Native American Parade was the highlight for us.

Jake & Jacki were giant furry people, actually 8ft tall. They must have been sweltering in their costumes as it was 30+ in the shade.

Five tribes dressed in traditional regalia sharing their heritage and culture through dance and music.

The 2012 World Marching Band Drum-off between Australia, Thailand and the home town of Calgary was excellent.

Unfortunately the Aussie Band chose a very traditional piece of music that did nothing for me or the judges and I thought their costumes looked old hat (sorry). Thailand, on the other hand, was lively, powerful and fun to watch – a worthy winner.

Thai in front, Aussies behind.

We walked along a crowded Centre Street looking for some lunch but it was hard to stay on track with all the stalls and street buskers. A big thank you to everyone working at the free drink stall, you kept us entertained and hydrated. Cold tea has never tasted so good!

Tuesday 10^th - Robert and Mary travelled with us in our RV to Shawnessey Street and from there we caught a train into the Stampede Park. All very easy and civilized.

The Park was buzzing with people and side-show alley was packed. There was a real party atmosphere.

Felix and his team were a trampoline act like no other. Those guys were walking up the side of a building that was 40ft high and then flipping over onto a trampoline.

The Gauts got into the swing of things and bought a couple of cowboy hats and Al started walking around like JR. I’ve never seen so many Stetsons and fancy leather boots. Yeeha!

What'd Ya think?

Today was the big Rodeo and we had excellent seats in the Grandstand and sheltered from the sun.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police put on a wonderful show of horsemanship and dressage.

The bucking broncos and bull riding got the crowd going. The Juniors were fantastic and came out and showed everyone how it was done. Those little guys are so plucky!

After a full day of crowds, animals and noise we retired to Aspen Crossing where it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Wednesday 11^th –

Once we arrived at Stampede Park we all agreed we wanted to see TAILS: Three Horses -

One Legend.

The show TAILS is a dramatic story of friendship and camaraderie told through the eyes of a horse.

The show took 12 months to produce and the end result was a visual masterpiece. The horses were magic and the trick riding and liberty work (where horses are free and the work is based on trust) was superb.

The next show was the Old Timer’s display. We felt like we should have been one of the exhibits.

Stroking the nose of a horse must be the nearest thing to heaven on earth.

Their gorgeous big eyes and long eyelashes make me go weak at the knees. Pity I can’t fit one in the RV.

It was back to the Main Grandstand for the afternoon session.

Eight huge draft horses came out pulling a carriage of hefty chuckwagon riders. Do you know each draft horse eats 34kgs of food every day!

The sport of Chuckwagon Racing goes back to 1923. Believe it or not, there are very strict rules that apply to the riders and there’s big money for the winner – up to $100,000.

The evening extravaganza was just that. Calgary hosted the most amazing, professional show ever. Music, dance, spectacular acrobatics, motor bike jumps and trapeze artists in a league of their own.

The Grand Finale was 30 minutes of synchronized fireworks from 5 different locations around the city making it the most dynamic event ever held in Canada. YEE-HA

End of 12^th Post

Wednesday 4^th July – Happy Independence Day!!

Yale, BC - In 1858 this sleepy little place was once a booming town thanks to the Fraser River gold rush.

St. John the Divine is one of the oldest churches in BC dating back to 1863.

Yale is now a popular venue for whitewater rafting and trying your hand at panning for gold.

Hells Gate, BC is the name given to a narrow passage in the Fraser River and for centuries has been a top fishing area. We were lured in with the advertising stating that ‘water flows at twice the volume of Niagara Falls’ – RUBBISH. It was not as dramatic as I was expecting and hardly worth getting out the RV for.

Lytton

Lovely little Lytton has a population of 300.

Due to the low elevation it is often referred to as the Hot Spot. Summer temperatures reach 40C+ with low humidity.

Also the Town Hall

The centre of Lytton has a clock tower, council offices and library.

This has been home to the Nlaka’pamux people for over 10,000 years. We had Lunch at Lyl Towne Deli and met just about everyone in town. Buster and Toffee sat outside the Deli with us and of course stole the show.

With the help of the GPS, we drove in the general direction of Kamloops looking for Clearwater RV Park BUT for some reason we ended up in the middle of a housing estate approximately 100kms from Clearwater? We finally found an OK campsite about 20mins out of Kamloops. The wine tasted good that night!

A frustrating couple of days lay ahead with dodgy camping destinations and a leak in the RV that was getting worse by the minute. These were all fixable and nothing that a good bottle of Merlot couldn’t put right.

Next destination Revelstoke National Park where we were to meet Robert and Mary. No camping there due to heavy snowfalls at the campsite. Somewhere our wires got crossed so Robert and Mary ended up at Glacier National Park due to incorrect information from a Ranger. They were a good hour’s drive away but against all odds we found each other and spent a cozy night at Lamplighter RV Park.

The Lamplighter RV Park, Revelstoke BC saved the day. We stumbled across this gorgeous Park where people spoke softly and the word ‘stress’ was not in their vocabulary.

Lake Louise

At last we arrived at Lake Louise Campground but so had 50 million other folk. Allen used his charm and after a little bit of sweet talking we managed to book 2 nights with electricity and side-by-side sites. Go Alpal.

It was a great spot but the sound of the train blasting it’s whistle at 3am was a little tedious! The train driver has to make a lot of noise to wake up any sleeping bears on the track. Allen loved it and being deaf certainly helped. He even counted every friggin wagon as they went past!! Apparently there were 168 wagons with 5 locomotives to pull them along. Yawn.......Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

At 8pm the following night the Ranger gave a talk on ‘All About Bears’ in the Amphitheatre and it was lovely to see the children so keen to participate in the fun.

Unfortunately we didn’t see a real bear this time.

Lake Moraine is a mega tourist attraction and today was no exception. The Lake is located in Banff National Park, Alberta and has been created by a melting glacier. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. It is a stunning sight as it reflects a brilliant blue-green due to glacial rock flour.

A short drive later we found Lake Louise and again it was like Piccadilly Circus in rush hour. I suppose the fact that it was Saturday, school holidays, peak season and sunny…..that’s going to do it every time. Despite the crowds we thought the Lake looked spectacular.

Lake Louise was named after Queen Victoria’s 4^th daughter and is one of the most photographed lakes in the world.

Banff – it’s now Sunday 8^th July and we thought it would be cool to check out Andy’s old drinking hole “Tommys”. It’s a typical young peoples bar where anything goes!

We sat outside at bench tables and watched the world go by. I was busy reading all the messages engraved on the table top and searching for a “Gauto”. It was not to be. I found this hard to believe and had to text Andy. He replied, “Tell Dad to check the toilet”!! haha Al said he didn't want to hang around as there were too many gay French guys in there!!

Banff had a vibrant atmosphere, lots of young travellers and the good weather was a bonus.

Aspen Crossing RV Park – home for the next 5 nights. As we pulled into the Park I got quite a shock as it was nothing like what I was expecting. Where are the bright lights and disco?

It was 80 Kms from Calgary near the rural town of Mossleigh and somewhere you could easily miss if you blinked.

BUT it did have a train theme so Allen was delighted. The dining car was a traditional 1887 Pullman carriage. There’s a private Caboose Cabin hidden by trees that’s available for rent.