09/09/2025
2 moths ago, on our Western Excursion we went to Calgary Stampede.
An excellent experience. Everyone I talked to we as nice and could be and happy to have us there
The Calgary Stampede is a not-for-profit community organization that preserves and celebrates their western heritage, cultures and community spirit. It compares to a state fair, only better.
A have several more photos of the chuck wagon races. The problem is that from shooting photos as high up as we were, there was not much variation in the photos. That being said, I am only posting a few.
The day before we were on a train going from Minot, ND to Shelby, MT. The ride had a few delays because of the heat. Temps were around 100 degrees, for our safety Amtrak slowed the train down dramatically. Between that and replacing parts that were over heating the planned 8 hour ride turned into a 13 hour one.
With restrictions on the number of hours a bus driver may drive we missed the rodeo part of the day. Very disappointing. Those were the photos I truly looked forward to shooting.
One very cool thing to learn is that GMC has been a sponsor of the Calgary Stampede since 1986, marking over 35 years of partnership with the event. The sponsorship was significantly enhanced in 2022 when the Calgary Stampede announced an expanded partnership and renamed the Stampede's main stadium to GMC Stadium.
Considering where I work, a bit of pride swelled in me for GMC and General Motors being part of a great showcasing the heritage of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Excellent food. Had "Wagyu Exquisite Poutine," made by the King of Poutine. Featured fresh-cut fries, classic cheese curds, Crown Royal peppercorn gravy, melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu beef, caramelized onions, oyster mushrooms, a quail egg, black truffles, and gold flakes. To say this was delicious would not do it justice. I will have to search my phone for a pic of it and post in the comments
Some of the text in this post was copied from the Calgary Stampede website