No apologies to Monty Python... Maybe a few things completely different.
We left Glacier and headed back to Calgary the short way. Flat, straight, miles and miles of canola fields all around. It was then that we found...
Wait! When you visit a new place, you should try to learn the history a bit before you go. Tom put me onto a really good video series from the 1960s. Historical fiction, actually. Main characters were Dudley, Nell, Inspector Fenwick, Horse and Snidely. Yes, Dudley Do-right of the RCMP. We studied these well before the trip.
...The Fort Museum in Fort MacLeod, Albert. A recreated fort and museum of the NorthWest Mounted Police. (What the RCMP was in the western territories of Canada) We stopped to take a look. Actually, Don and Tom stopped and dragged Sue and Patti with them.
There was not a single Dudley Do-right image anywhere. But the museum was pretty interesting. And Mounties, do indeed, "always get their man."
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| The fort was the reason for the town's existence in the late 19th Century |
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| "They went that way!" |
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| "No! That way!" |
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| ...but not very fast. |
The town thought they were well positioned to grow and invested a lot around 1920, only to wither.
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| No mountains anywhere.... |
Now, they are a rural farm town with some tourist appeal....and some cool old buildings.
Finally, we reached Calgary. It was our last day of the trip, but the first day of the Calgary Stampede. It's famous, so we had to go see. We had tickets to the stadium show that evening.
It's hard to describe. Sort of a state fair crossed with a rodeo crossed wth Urban Cowboy crossed with a circus. There were outdoor rides, thrill shows, bands, beer gardens, fried food...and cowboy hats and boots. It was jam packed. Take a look.
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| RCMP horse |
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| Al somebody... |
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| Getting ready for the show in the rodeo building. |
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| Oh Canada time |
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| MCs, First People, RCMP and maybe an astronaut in there somewhere (really). |
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| Chuck wagon races. Yes. Not likely to be confused with anything else, ever. |
You need to watch this video. Really.
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| Sue and Tom had the hats. Only Sue had the boot. |
The Calgary Stampede is not like anything else. We're glad we went. We're glad we saw Chuck Wagon Races. ...and I'll leave it right there...
This whole trip was fabulous from beginning to end. The US National Parks are all spectacular. Every one of them. Glacier is certainly one of the top parks. I'd put it up there with Yosemite, Olympic, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain.
But, the Canadian Rockies were all that and a bit more. If you haven't gone, you should.
