Hello from Calgary
Trip Start
Jun 27, 2009
1
6
18
Trip End
Jul 26, 2009
Calgary,
Alberta,
Canada
Friday, July 3, 2009
On the way back to TC1 I didn’t want to backtrack so we asked a local and got directed to a dirt road that took us back to the highway
On the way to Fort Walsh, SK
. Once in Alberta (110 still) we stopped in Medecine Hat to have lunch. Gas was 96.4/litre! We decided to get groceries in Medecine Hat in case we couldn’t find a store open in Calgary. By 6:00 we were back on the road. We had about 300 Kms to drive but the campground told me they close at 10:00 when I called. Plenty of time, right?? Well by 9 we were in Calgary but it took 45 minutes more to get 'un’lost after taking the wrong turn. Poor Jack the GPS had to keep "recalculating". We made it just in time though and in less than another hour the tent was up. All still before the sun had set. Bed by midnight!Calgary Day 1
Waking up my thoughts went to how great a camping coffee would taste (and yes, I’m talking about instant. (I love my instant Maxwell House)…and then it hit me. NO PROPANE! Aaaaaaaaaagh. The store at the Calgary West Campground opens at 8:00 am. So I figured I’d set some things up outside and then go get some propane. At 7:45 I was outside their doors and when they finally let me in, I found that they had no small propane tanks for sale! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! Well, we’d have to go to town and get some. After 3 of us showering and a load of laundry we got out at about 11:30. First we went to downtown Calgary
Hello Ladies!
. We window shopped for about 2 hours. Parking was surprisingly cheap and easy to find especially considering we were very close to the Stampede grounds. Jack helped us find a Wal-mart where we could get propane, ice, flashlights and charcoal. At around 5:15 we arrived at the Calgary Olympic Park. It was closed but we were able to walk around a bit. We may go back tomorrow afternoon. We’d like to see the Hall of Fame and take the tour. When we got back to the site around 6:30 the grill needed assembling. It took about an hour and we were all set to start cooking our steaks and corn on the cob when the skies opened up and we had a thunder storm. So here I am writing this on Word in the tent while the coals are getting hot and I’m really hoping we’ll be able to have our much anticipated dinner! I see the sun coming back out so it looks promising.
Yes! The sun came out long enough for us to have our steaks (which the kids said were great, I might add!) :D Just enough time to clean up and then the rain started again.
Calgary Day 2
Man it was COLD last night
Fort Walsh
! The mattresses aren’t inflated because the pump Anna lent me didn’t have the right nozzle. We bought an electric pump in Wal-Mart yesterday but we have to return it. It doesn’t actually work! We’ll get a hand or foot pump today and have softer sleeps from here on in. I’ve been up for 2 hours now. Showered, had my toast, arranged the photos in Kodak Easyshare and am on my second coffee. Time to wake up the kids and head out for the day. The plan is the zoo and then back to the Olympic park. This morning I needed a boost! We had been charging things like the camera and the phones over night on the one outlet that works when the car is off and had never had a problem. Well….it turns out you shouldn’t try to charge your laptop that way! Luckily I have cables!
Changed the plans from zoo to the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Center. A museum showing how the buffalo were hunted a thousand years ago using only cunning and strength and no weapons at all. It was very interesting. That was a 2 hour drive there for me and back to Calgary for Allison. We found gas at 91.4! The trip back got a bit harrowing for Allison when she was yelled at by some woman with road rage. She thought Allison was too close to the right of the lane but they were thin lanes. This woman yelled at her and I guess it didn’t help that I, kinda…sorta….yelled back. Allison kept her wits about her even though it shook her. Great job Allison!! We all remember our first yelling at.
We got back to the tent around 7 pm and had tacos. No Olympic park visit today
The Little Mountie
. We had exchanged the air mattress pump so we actually had fluffy, comfy sleeps!Calgary Day 3
This morning Melissa met some friends at the park. They didn’t speak English so she tried “Bonjour”. They didn’t understand that so she tried “Hola” LOL. She’s so funny! She came to get me because she thought one of them said they were from Switzerland. It turns out they were and I used my limited Swiss for the first time in years.
Today we went back to the Olympic Park and went through the Hall of Fame Museum. The kids enjoyed it and there were some funny interactive exhibits. (I can’t shoot a slapshot to save my life!)
We got back at around 2pm and the skies just opened up. It poured on and off for 3 hours. The tent leaked a bit but it wasn’t too bad. I was afraid we’d have to take the camp apart in the rain the next day so I started putting things away whenever the rain let up a bit. The girls wanted to get to the stampede grounds by 4 so that they could get a good spot for the Simple Plan concert but I had started a load of laundry. Then at 5 the clouds parted and the sun came out. We hopped in the car around 5:30 and the girls were in front of the stage by 6pm in really good spots. Melissa and I walked around the grounds. Played some games and went on some rides but MAN! the money goes fast at a place like that. I have to say I expected more from the Stampede. It was very much like our old Belmont Park in Montreal. The New Cities (also from Montreal) started the show at 8 and then Simple Plan came on at 9. By then it was getting cold out so Melissa and I walked back to the car and waited for the girls thee.
We were back at the tent by 11:30 and asleep not long afterward. None of us slept very well though because it was soooo c-c-c-cold!
We may have had a lot of rain but it always stopped when we've needed it to. We've been very lucky so far! (Knock wood)
