We farewelled the Rockies and moved on to Calgary for the Stampede, the greatest outdoor show on earth! By the time we got ourselves to the Stampede grounds, it was way past lunch time. Perusing calorie central was somewhat amusing. Fortunately, it was so hot that it was hard to muster up a big appetite for deep friend goodies!
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| Yahoo! We're at the Stampede! Where if you're not wearing boots or a cowboy hat you're the odd one out! |
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| Fries any which way you can think of! |
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| When they say colossal, they mean colossal |
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| You don't want to know what this is... |
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| Taco in a bag |
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| Deep fried dessert anyone?!? |
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| How much fat can one put on a stick... |
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| Here's what they look like cooking |
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| GIANT chicken kebabs |
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| GIANT turkey legs (normal ones are big enough...) |
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| We succumbed to dessert fries...amongst other things! |
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| How can one resist ribs?!?! |
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| ...from a joint that has won so many trophies? |
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| Time to work off lunch |
It took us a while to get going as we seemingly got "stuck" in the Midway section where the rides and fastfood were. It was hot, it was crowded, and we started to wilt. Attempts to cool down with frozen goods failed to work. Such was the desperation that we stopped to play bingo because it was in the shade. Things took a turn for the better when we found the Stampede Market, a huge undercover marketplace selling everything you can think of! Did I mention that it was air-conditioned?! Bliss...
From there, we moved on to the next air-conditioned venue, the corral show. Cirque Eloize was performing. They were awesome, almost like a mini Cirque du Soleil. We couldn't believe that it was a free event!
We braved the heat again heading into the agriculture pavilions. There was a wonderful section for the children, with hands on experiences and educational stops. The adults had fun too! Then it was onto perusing the show animals. It appeared that we were completely heat intolerant as a family...don't ask me how we manage to survive in Australia! We made a beeline for anything air-conditioned to have our evening meal. In the end, it was at a wine bar in the midst of the artwork on display. No one was complaining!
The Grandstand was our last destination where the evening show was held. We were introduced to chuck wagon racing, where thoroughbred horses pull a chuck wagon...We were amazed at how tight they were able to turn and how quickly they did it! By 930pm, the whole family was exhausted and called it quits for the day. But what a wonderful day it was!
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| Yes it was so hot that we resorted to playing Bingo because it was in the shade |
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| Outdoor entertainment |
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| Unhealthy goodies round 2! |
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| Mojito popsicle for Daddy |
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| Into the Stampede Market to cool down. Didn't matter what it was that we were looking at! |
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| More free entertainment in airconditioning! The famed cirque eloize. |
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| Onto the Agriculture pavilions |
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| There was a section just for children which was wonderful |
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| Miniature horse |
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| A very large Holstein |
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| Miniature donkey. Such beautiful eyes! |
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| Jonah LOVED the armed forces display |
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| More street performers but we were too hot to stay and watch |
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| At the evening show! |
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| To watch chuck wagon racing!! |
