CALGARY STAMPEDE

HI!!

Just pulled in the door from a hectic weekend in Calgary where we went to the Calgary Stampede the "greatest outdoor show on earth"...It started off feeling pretty lucky, i made a sign for hitch-hiking and fortunatley we got picked up in 5 mins!!! Record breaking! And they dropped us off right at the hotel!! Nice!

We met up with Joe and Em-actually it was classic, we got to the front desk and asked if Joe Wilson had checked in, the dude said yes - Stephanie Wilson (so we naturally assumed Joe put it on Mummy's credit card...) walk in there, I'm using the bathroom, and Reubs is like KAt, do you recognise any of this stuff? And I'm like no-not really?? We are just about to drink a cold beer we have assumed Joe has left on ice for us.....Turns out it is the WRONG ROOM, we are sifting through other people's gear......hmmmm, beat a hasty exit from that scene before we could get busted! Funny start to the weekend. Tragically Joe had just had the van towed, costing a bunch of cash they didnt have, bad story...

We beat it to the Chuckwagon racing where they do a bunch of random stuff, chuck stuff in the wagon, race around poles, one dude leaps onto another horse...??They race around the track...it is super super gnarly, tragically horses die every year....Then afterwards they have this amazng broadway kinda show-with EVERYTHING, singing, dancing, tap dancing (sick) these dudes that climb up these ribbons by wrapping them around their bodies and spin through the sky...backflipping motorbikes...and the best fireworks i have seen in ages. it was really amazing...

Had a few expensive beers, a bit of a late one...train runs right to the hotel door!! Next day checked out the RODEO!!! Sweet so hardcore!! Here are some pics.

The bare-back bull riding...

Honestly I don't know how they do it...the coolest thing is the cowboys that round up the raging bull at the end and get it off the stage. Sometimes they have to lassoo them!!

There are heaps of different rodeo events, it was really cool to see them all. In this one the dude has to chase a calf, lassoo it and tie it's legs together once it is on the ground. When I say calf I mean a big one with little horns and suuff (steer??) Yeah and the dudes were doing it in like 7 seconds!! It was incredible!! There was one Kiwi dude, we cheered really loudly for him!

The grounds themselves are really cool, it's kinda like a massive (kiwi's) A&P show with all types of rides and games, wow it is HOT though man, it hasnt got below 30 deg all week... anyway ended up having a pretty random but MASSIVE night and now I have to go to bed, cos I think I'll be lifting heaps of heavy stuff tomorrow!
The team in the stand, (drinking illegally sumggled in rum slushies!!)