Stampede

Well, this is my third summer in Calgary... and I have yet to get down to the Calgary Stampede!! Last year it was an out-of-town workshop that kept me away... and the year before that, I don't remember what the reason was! Stampede in Calgary is huge... The police say that on any given day, the Stampede grounds comprise Alberta's third largest city with a population of around 120,000. Now, I have nothing against people... but crowds of that sort... I just wonder how much fun it really is  to wait in line for events and rides and food and God knows what else. I gather that the Stampede is more than chuckwagon races, bronco riding and steer busting but still... All those crowds... Or maybe it's just the ambience of the whole thing... you know... plaid is the new black and the chicest hairpiece is a cowboy hat. Given that I was horse-mad as a kid, you'd think I'd be chomping at the bit to get down to Stampede. But... it is expensive... and they aren't all that kind to horses... And maybe there are more funner things to do in Calgary than watching a bunch of cowboys subdue a bunch of animals. I'm kind of interested to find out the "free" things to do in Calgary... if such a thing exists... Perhaps another blog topic...