The Calgary Stampede

“Bison burgers for everybody?”

Where else but the Calgary Stampede could that question be asked?

We took a day away from the mountains to go to the Stampede in Calgary. What’s that, you might ask? Think of a county or state fair, then put a cowboy spin on it.

Midway carnival rides. . . check.

Food, food, and more food. . . check.

Crowds. . . check.

Now add cowboy hats and boots, large ugly belt buckles and swagger.

The heart of the Stampede is the Rodeo. Not just any rodeo, but the Olympics of rodeos. The contestants in the rodeo have been working the rodeo circuit for years and have to work up to the Stampede. They win money. . . lots of money. Every day, the cowboys compete for the day’s purse. At the end of the entire Stampede, the points and money add together for the grand prizes.

But for the audience, we got a show. And it was some show. The cowboys are fast, and make the event look easy. But you knew there was lots of training behind the feat, just like the Olympics.

We saw Saddle Bronc, Tie-Down Roping, Steer Riding, Steer Wrestling, Bareback, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding. For more details on what these events entail, visit the Stampede website at www.calgarystampede.com

The contestants courteously signed autographs. My daughter is pictured with one of the winners of the day. Can you say “hot men wearing leather”?

The cowboys wrestling the steer were huge! I could tell, even though we were standing one hundred yards away, but then the announcer mentioned the size of the men, too. Most of the men weighed over 250 pounds and were extremely buff. They had to be to wrestle over 300 pounds of steer to the ground in less than five seconds.

And. . . I had to laugh at the cowboys names. Really now, I laugh at most of the names in cowboy romances. Who comes up with these names? But then, I saw them in the flesh. Some of the contestants’ names were Brady, Gavin, Tyson, Hunter, Trevor, Ryan, Clint, Lonnie, Bryce, Riley, Lee, Luke, Wade, Dusty, Dustan, Cody, Heith, Chad, Ross, Wiley, Reese, Curtis, and Ben. There also was a Mike, Joey, Bobby and Steve.

Oh, and those bison burgers? Very tasty!

Enjoy some of the pictures of our day!