Cochrane, Alberta, Canada

We arrive here in Cochrane Monday, July 8, to start the Maple Leaf Caravan. Everyone else was here except one unit, should be in on Tuesday, they had some Motorhomes issues. We had a get together to meet and greet people, a catered dinner, steaks, small potatoes and different salad, great food. After dinner we then a Cowboy Poet, Doris Daley. Doris had told stories and poets that she had written, very interesting, she is a local from Alberta, but travels all over the world reciting poetry, she has won the Academy of Western Artists' Female Cowboy Poet of the Year and Western Music Association's Top Female Cowboy Poet of North America. Doris sat with us at dinner, she asked where we were from and we told her Lancaster County from Pa., she had spent 4 years there working with Mennonite Mutual Aid in Akron.


Doris Daley

On Tuesday, July 9, we had a bus pick us up at the campground and went to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampede is a huge area with rides, food, games, and entertainment. We sat through the rodeo today and watched motorcycle daredevils, calf roping, junior bull riding, bronco riding, bull riding, calf wrestling, girl barrel racing and 5 groups of 3 small kids with a rope trying to ride a pony for 10 seconds, very cute to watch. We had returned to camp about 7 pm.


Daredevil riders


Bull riding


Three kids trying to ride pony


Stampede with city in background


Indian Village

On Wednesday, July 10, I did some laundry in the morning, ate lunch, and then we had a Hoody Doody (get acquainted) session before getting back on the bus for the Stampede. We arrived at the stampede around 4 pm, walked around and checked everything out that we missed the day before. We had walked into an area where there was all kind of vendors and artists of all kind, paintings, sculptors, quilts, and other fair like items.


We had then gone to the chuck wagon races, very interesting. Four sets of teams race, first put a bucket into the wagon, go around barrels and race out around the track to the finish line, which was down almost in front of us, they had ran 9 races and will continue until the end of the week to see who is the winner.


Chuck wagon races

After the races were over they had moved a stage over in front of the stadium and had different performers, acrobats, dancers, whoa what a show and when every thing was over fireworks at the end. They had a floating piano and a guy playing, floating horses that two guys were inside making the head and legs move, and the group Kiss playing songs. If you ever come here to Calgary, you have got to stop and do the stampede, great rodeo and especially evening entertainment, a must.























We didn't return back to the campground until after 1am, slept in a little late, we had a free day. They had given us information for a Heritage Center, that we decided to go see. The Center is Canada's largest living history museum. It has an operating steam train that circles the historical village on one mile track. Gasoline Alley Museum is home to some of the most unique and rare vehicles ever manufactured.










Old gas pumps

We had another hoody dowdy late afternoon and then dinner, we had meat pies, vegetable tray and fruit pies that were all made locally. Then a drivers meeting for tomorrow's move.





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Location:River Heights Rise,Cochrane,Canada