The kids were lazy this morning and didn't get up until almost 8:00am. Francois and I enjoyed breakfast without having to wait on anyone. We didn't leave the food out for any sneaky critters. We began to pack up the sleeping supplies in the tent and slowly woke up each child. Andrea is usually the first one to get up, then Natalie and after some poking and prodding David slowly gets up and dressed for the day.
This was the first time David insisted on using his black comb to style his hair. Francois said he spent an extra few minutes in the mens bathroom as David primped in the mirror making sure his hair looked great.
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| Heading to the Infield of the Rodeo |
We left the campground shortly before 10:00am. We stopped in Red Deer for lunch. The tourist information centre was a little difficult to find, but was well worth the search as it had an excellent playground for the kids to play. It has been interesting to watch how David developed his skills on the monkey bars since we left on our trip. At the beginning of this trip I needed to spot David, just in case he would fall and now he scoots across the bars like a pro.
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| Watching the Action |
Our destination for the afternoon was Ponoka Stampede. We were late arriving for the start of the Pro Games, which started at 1:00 pm. We came in the back way of the town and arrived close to the Stampede area. We could see the grandstand was full of people! We didn't know where to go or what to do, so Francois asked a person on the side of the road who gave him some details. We located the ticket stand and we were told that the infield stands was the place to sit as you would be close to the action and surrounded by cowboys. We walked through a large culvert to get to the infield and were among the throngs of people. We found some seats and started watching.
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| A rider trying to stay on |
The kids had lots of questions and we did the best we could to try and explain the events. It was pretty impressive to see the speed and power of the animals as the participants try to complete the activities whether it was riding a bull, horse, barrel racing or steer tackling. There were also a number of show riders doing a bunch of stunts which we all enjoyed.
The last event of the day was the wild horse event which was the one of the most outrageous events we've ever witnessed. Eight wild horses were released at the same time and a group of three people have the horse by rope. The horses take off and want to get loose while the the team tries to tame the horse, put a saddle on it and then ride it to the fence. To steal a word from WWF wrestling.... it was complete pandemonium. Towards the end of the event, two horses collided (one with a rider and one without) and the announcer on the loud speaker suggested that the person broke his leg.
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| One of the Stunt Riders Performing |
After the stampede was completed, we loaded up the van and headed to Sherwood Park to visit with Rodney, Joyce and his family. Allison and her fiancee Michael were home when we arrived and invited us in. The kids loved to tell Allison all their adventures thus far. We were able to get a few groceries and make a sit down meal for supper. After supper Rodney arrived and then later on the evening Joyce got off work and then Marissa got home from work. It was great to spend the evening sitting in the kitchen catching up on what has been taking place.
Just like all the other places we've visited thus far we have been welcomed with open arms. Allison and Michael had gone out for a bit in the evening and came back with some gifts for the kids. Rodney and Joyce kept telling us to make ourselves at home and the girls were nice enough to give up their rooms for us to stay. We are looking forward to spending a few days with family and visiting the greater Edmonton area.
Good night.
Tanya and Francois
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