We got back to the motorhome a bit after 12:30, and we were both asleep before 1:00 am. The problem was we had a bus trip Thursday morning to Banff at 8:00 am! After 5 hours sleep, we got up, drank our coffee, groggily took showers, and generally got ready for the day. I was still feeling quite poorly, and my Achilles’ tendon was killing me! I took all my meds, and tried to bluff my way through, but I wasn’t very successful. We will have to come back when we are on our own.
First impressions of Banff is that it is really, really crowded in the middle of July! We did a classic bus tour with “stop at major tourist place, snap a few pictures, get back on the bus, and go to the next picture spot” type of trip. Not my normal style, but Banff was truly amazingly gorgeous.
We started with another fabulous buffet lunch at the Gondola ride. They were having issues with their credit card reader, so I am really glad we picked up some Canadian cash to buy post cards. Based on the lines and distances involved plus my issue with heights, we didn’t do the gondola ride itself.
Our next stop was Lake Louise. What more can be said about this incredible place?
The lake is fed by the glacier in the middleThey rent canoes for $145/hr!I have no idea what the Voyageur canoes rented for!Better picture of the glacier
Then it was on to Lake Moraine.
Not much of a glacier anymore.Logs jammed the lake outletBanff beautySee the people above the rock pile?
The bus then dropped us off downtown Banff. I was feeling even worse by now, and my foot was killing me. I just found a shady spot and just sat for the 3 hours we had in town. Banff is just a huge, upscale tourist town. It reminded me of Aspen more than anything else. Lots and lots of people, tshirt shops, upscale tourist clothing shops, and lots of candy shops. One of the classic Banff foods is a Beavertail – a piece of fry bread drizzled with some chocolate. I love fry bread, but the line was almost a block long! Kevin did buy some chocolate truffles that were fabulous and a sack of frozen peas for me to use as an ice pack! Finally we were on our way back to the campground, and we got home around 7:30.
The next day we traveled to Rocky Mountain House. More on that later.
Our tour had 2 days of tickets to the Calgary Stampede. We started on Tuesday morning with a bus ride downtown for breakfast in Rope Square. It is a tradition that “Traveler”pancakes be served during Stampede. A Traveler is a pancake that has bacon and syrup added as it cooks. It is then served in a simple napkin that serves the role of plate, cutlery, and finger cleaner! It was fun.
Gorgeous flower pots were hanging all around the square.Red flowers show while the old time wagons, all original from many years ago, lined up for a display.We had character company too.They even had music! How can a band perform at 8:30 am?
After breakfast our bus picked us up to visit the Calgary Tower. My height phobia just wasn’t going for that, so we just met the rest of the crowd after they went up. I did get an interesting picture of the contrast in Calgary architecture! This is a old bank building juxtaposed with a very modern apartment/office building. And yes, the new building really does look that angled! As the floors go up, the width of the building decreases and the window angles change.
Old and new
We got to the Stampede in time for lunch before the rodeo, but it was miserably hot.We also had to walk well over a mile to get to the Grandstand, and my Achilles’ tendon and my scoliosis were both having a fit by the time we made it. To call the Stampede “just a fancy rodeo” does it a HUGE injustice. It is more like a major state fair with all kinds of vendors and a big Midway. They have all kinds of other activities too like Indigenous dancers and a pow wow, dog agility type displays, etc. However I was far too miserable, sore, and HOT to enjoy any of it. Our seats were good ones, close to the center and not high, but we were in full sun on a 90+ day. I gave up and found a shady spot to stay in. Sadly, even though the rodeo performers were top of their game, I am just not that fond of rodeo! I did like the entry though.
Always love bands!
We got home, and I took some meds. I gradually began to feel a bit better, but Kevin had to work to convince me to go back on Wednesday. We did by-pass the main rodeo itself, but we took in the dinner, chuck wagon races, pony relays, and the evening Extravaganza and fireworks.
One thing I will say about Adventure Caravans is they get some outstanding buffets! We at at the grandstand, and this time the bus driver parked close instead of at the other side of the grounds! I would not have gone otherwise. It definitely was worth it, even in some pain. Note some of the pictures are taken in the evening, and the only way I could do it was to take a picture of the display screen.
Of course there was a bandChuck wagons lined upAnd we’re off. They have to circle the barrels then go around the track.Close race!Down the stretch. There are riders involved too.
Between heats they had other activities while they reset the track.
Some fabulous dancers were there including this hoop dancer.
Finally it was time for the evening show. They bring in the entire set behind a huge tracked Case tractor. The wings with the screen expand. There are other screens on the far sides too.
The stage from where were
After an opening ceremony (I am learning the words to “O Canada!”), a couple of country western groups played. Then they transitioned to a large number of dancers, some as young as 8-9.
Lots of dancers
There were drones taking pictures and they were projected on the big screens. I particularly like this backlit skyline showing a lot of the Stampede grounds lit up.
Drones caught this picture of the Stampede grounds and the Calgary skylineGorgeous moonrise too
Prior to full darkness they had some other acts. I particularly like the rope tricks.
Rope tricks with fireYes, he really was on the ground with the burning rope above him
And then there were more dance groups trying to steal our attention but totally losing it to the fireworks! They were truly as spectacular as you can ever imagine. They went on and on.
Fireworks snapshotScreenshot of things my camera couldn’t catch
When everything was over, it was 11:30 and I was dead on my feet. The bus picked us up and brought us back to the campground around 12:30.
Before I leave the Stampede, a few summary notes about Calgary. It is a very urban city with thousands of apartments and offices in massive towers everywhere you look. I always judge how urban a community is by the size of the parking spots at a store, and the ones in Calgary would have trouble with big SUVs let alone pickups! Traffic isn’t too bad (for a big city), and there are buses and light rail all over the place. It is an incredibly diverse place too. Bike and pedestrian trails all over, and a lovely river front is maintained nicely. If it wasn’t for the awful winter weather, I could be convinced to live there.
