So I went to my first ever Stampede! The Calgary Stampede is something that I have always wanted to go to, so I was super pumped that I got to go finally. The week before when I was off Michelle and I went out to the Sally-Ann and got some cheap stampede gear. I got a a snazzy plaid shirt, and cowboy hat for the event. I gotta say I felt a bit silly putting it on, just because it is definitely not something that I would normally wear. I even grew up on a farm and never even owned a cowboy hat until now. However when I got to the Stampede I soon realized that I fit right in! I have never seen so much plaid and cowboy hats in one spot! I saw 'cowboys' of all kinds! Asian, African Canadian, Caucasian, Native, young, old, you name it! I went with my camp manager Jamie and her boyfriend JP, so I had some experienced locals to help guide me through the chaos that is stampede.
We parked and took the C-train to the stampede. This was my first time on the C-train and way easier then trying to drive down to the stampede! As soon as we walked in the front gates it was a sea of lights, sounds, and smells. There was food vendor upon food vendor as far as the eye could see mixed in with midway rides and tons of people. Before I went I was recommended to try several foods while I was there. Apparently at Stampede they deep fry everything that doesn't move fast enough! Deep frying and food on a stick were everywhere. There were signs for all things deep fried, and before I had been told to try the deep fried Oreos. So the first vendor we saw with them we stopped to get some. There were 5 in total in the basket and covered in chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. I took a bite and they were soft and delicious! We all agreed that they were deep fried goodness, and we had no troubles polishing off the others. From there we walked around the midway and Jamie and JP decided to go on the Mega Drop. It was one of those rides where you are strapped in and it goes to the top then drops down really fast. I am not a fan of my stomach in my throat so I took pictures from the sidelines. There is so much to see on the Stampede grounds that I felt like my head was on a swivel. We went and bought tickets to the Chuck Wagon Races in the grandstand and explored a bit more before the show started. We toured through the agriculture building and lots of other places before it was time to head to the grandstand for the races.
I was pretty excited that I actually got to go to an event and not just walk around the stampede grounds. The grandstand was packed and it was a sea of cowboy hats. We bought cheap tickets, but were able to walk down to the standing area and it was super close to the finish line. The chuck wagons were great! Teams of four horses pulling a wagon with two drivers compete in several heats. The part where they race around the barrels confused me a bit, and it was so fast that I don't think I even had time to understand it before they were off and around the track. However when they rounded the last corner and headed towards the finish line the energy of the crowd sky rocketed! It was very exciting and the races were so close with only seconds between teams! We watched the heats, got some food and I really enjoyed the experience. Right before the last heat the dark clouds rolled in and it came a down pour like no other. The rain was coming down hard, and just then you thought it couldn't possibly rain any harder it would! We decided that sitting in the rain for the show coming on after the races was not the most enjoyable idea we had, so we left and started to make our way to the BMO building. Along the way we saw a sign for deep fried Pop-tarts, which was something Jamie was told to try, so of course we had to try one. JP went up to the counter and laid out his $5 bill and said, "I'd like a heart attack please" The woman said, "You'd like a pop-tart?" Ans with that we had a deep fried strawberry pop-tart to try. It was okay, but definitely no competition for the Oreos!
In the BMO building there is a huge market type thing with a plethora of products to choose from. Most of them are like infomercial type products and the people are doing their spiels about how great whatever it is they are trying to sell. We walked around there for a bit, and they decided to call it a day and head home on the C-train. I am super glad I was able to finally go to the Stampede, and a big thanks to Jamie and JP for being my tour guide. Who knows maybe I will be back someday and do it again!
I was pretty excited that I actually got to go to an event and not just walk around the stampede grounds. The grandstand was packed and it was a sea of cowboy hats. We bought cheap tickets, but were able to walk down to the standing area and it was super close to the finish line. The chuck wagons were great! Teams of four horses pulling a wagon with two drivers compete in several heats. The part where they race around the barrels confused me a bit, and it was so fast that I don't think I even had time to understand it before they were off and around the track. However when they rounded the last corner and headed towards the finish line the energy of the crowd sky rocketed! It was very exciting and the races were so close with only seconds between teams! We watched the heats, got some food and I really enjoyed the experience. Right before the last heat the dark clouds rolled in and it came a down pour like no other. The rain was coming down hard, and just then you thought it couldn't possibly rain any harder it would! We decided that sitting in the rain for the show coming on after the races was not the most enjoyable idea we had, so we left and started to make our way to the BMO building. Along the way we saw a sign for deep fried Pop-tarts, which was something Jamie was told to try, so of course we had to try one. JP went up to the counter and laid out his $5 bill and said, "I'd like a heart attack please" The woman said, "You'd like a pop-tart?" Ans with that we had a deep fried strawberry pop-tart to try. It was okay, but definitely no competition for the Oreos!
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