Stampede

Today we're going to the Stampede in Calgary. Our shuttle starts from the campsite at 11:15. An orange school bus, just like in the American movies.

Since we're the last ones and of course the coolest, we sit all the way in the back. I didn't remember the highway/roads being so bumpy. No suspension comfort at all, a lowered Golf GTI has more suspension. And doing homework on the ride is very difficult too. After 40 minutes, I had a slight headache. Poor school kids who have to ride this every day.

The Stampede is a huge fair, I would say comparable to the Schützenfest in Hannover. Lots of rides and game booths,

Loads of food stalls, beverage stands, and candy stands. The last 3 make up the vast majority.

Actually, it's supposed to be an agricultural exhibition, but that was the smallest part. There was a hall where you could look at a few cattle and find out about rapeseed, flour, and poultry innovations. In the back area was a large arena where horse-drawn carriages (consisting of 2 horses) had to pull a sled with weights in a race. When we left, they were at 5.5 tons.

The absolute highlight, however, was the rodeo. There was a separate arena for it.

The following disciplines were included:

• - Riding wild horses bareback with one hand

• - Riding around 3 tons - women's discipline
• - Catching a calf with a lasso, knocking it down, and tying its legs together
• - 3 kids have to hold a pony while one of them sits on it. That was funny because the ponies didn't want to stand still and dragged the kids behind them.
• - Dance performance of the First Nation in their traditional costumes. This seemed more like "oh, the Indians should also take the stage because cowboys also include Indians"

• - Bull wrestling. Riding alongside a young bull, grabbing its horns and flipping it over so that all 4 feet are in the air. (the fastest time was 4.4 sec).
• - Riding wild horses with a saddle with one hand

• - And the grand finale was bull riding. Safety is a top priority and so the cowboys now wear neck-back protectors and headgear.

It was really exciting.

The whole arena was like an anthill, people constantly stood up to get something to eat and drink. Fortunately, we didn't need to do that because we were prepared. We brought water and made sandwiches. We also applied SPF 50 sunscreen beforehand. And it's a good thing we did because except for the last half hour, we were sitting in the hot sun the whole time. But we treated ourselves to an ice-cold beer.

After 3 hours, the rodeo spectacle was over and the winners gave autographs, just like rock stars. And guess who got one from their favorite? Schahaatz!

At 17:45, our "comfort bus" will take us back home. And as usual, we'll sit back in our seats from the ride there until the first bump launches us 30 cm in the air and jolts our spines. Since the front was clear, we tried out the suspension there.

Note: for cool mid-fifties people, the seat behind the driver is the best 😊.

Tomorrow we'll head back to the mountains.