Calgary Stampede 2013

Every year I try to spend at least a day at the Calgary Stampede, I love the atmosphere, the food, the rodeo, just everything (well maybe not so many people, but that is what makes the Stampede what it is)  This year my sister was getting tickets from one of her customers from work, but the day before we were to get them someone had stolen them.  He felt bad and so gave her money for the boys to use to get in.  It was kinda disappointing cause they we including admission, rides, and rodeo.  But we went the Wednesday and went early so we got in free and they were having a pancake breakfast sponsored by my bank (how nice of them :) )  that we had and we bought the boys ride passes and we just didn't go on rides.

(we made them go on the swings and they closed thier eyes the whole way 

said it was too high, pretty wimpy I thought, lol)

(the sky ride, I think Jaret musta just spotted us)

We had fun anyways, but since it was kids day we stayed away from the agriculture part and the kids zone, my nephews are big enough they want real rides anyways.  I like to see the draft ponies, but its crazy over there on kids day.   I woulda liked to watch cutting but they moved in to another venue cause the Saddledome couldn't be fixed in time.

(always say I have a pile of ponies, and so here is one ;) )

(new show this year, Bell Aqua ranch, says some ride horses, we ride waves. 

 Was a neat fountain/water ski doo show)

The flooding a couple weeks before made it kinda hard for the stamped to be ready in time, they had just put new dirt down the infield and the track and it was all contaminated, so out it went and in new dirt went, 196 million tonnes of dirt, 148 trucks working 24 hours a day for a week to get it done, pretty amazing really, but they were not gonna quit for a flood when they had run consecutively for 100 years, including through both world wars and the depression.  Thier new saying was through Hell or High Water, they sold T-shirts all stampede and the money raised went to flood recovery for Calgary and Area.