Calgary, Alberta, Canada: July 5 - 8, 2026

"Heartbeat of the City"

It was an easy drive from Lake Louise Village to Calgary. We drove south down 1A the Bow River Parkway stopping at several viewpoints along the way. Our first stop was not a viewpoint but a bear. I saw him/her up ahead and we were the first car to stop. The bear was eating the fluffy seed heads of dandelions along the side of the road. He/she paid us no mind as we took photos. The bear is a black bear even though its coat was a lovely shade of golden brown.

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We stopped at Storm Mountain Lookout and chatted with a couple from Quebec who were on their way to pick cherries in the Okanagan Valley. They had overnighted at the Lookout and had done laundry that morning. They were traveling with their bunny and their cat. The bunny was on a tether while grazing but the cat just nestled into a grassy spot for a nap.

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We also chatted with a guy about the long train passing by that had three engines: front, middle, and rear. Turns out he was from Nevada and he and his wife were driving to Alaska. They were from Yerington, Nevada. I mentioned that my neighbor grew up in Yerington, and they knew each other.

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In Calgary, we quickly found the place we rented for the next three days. The apartment is on the 18th floor in a high-rise building. We thought it would be perfect because it was about a 30-minute walk to the Calgary Stampede--the whole reason for spending time in Calgary. Unfortunately, one of the concert venues, Badlands, was within a block of the apartment. The bass beat became the heartbeat of the city and the apartment from late afternoon until at least midnight. Otherwise it was a great place to stay. Our host left earplugs, eye masks, and a white noise machine in an effort to dampen the noise.

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The Calgary Stampede is a 10-day rodeo with seven cash prize afternoon events: Bareback, Bull Riding, Barrel Racing (women), Tie-down roping, Breakaway Roping (women), Steer Roping, Saddle Bronc. The evening show has Chuckwagon races, First Nation bareback relay races, and kid teams trying to ride a pony.

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After going to the first day events, we realized that one day at the rodeo was quite enough for us. The next day we went to the Calgary Stampede Powwow with First Nation and Native American groups competing in song, dance, drum, and costume events. The costumes were beautiful and the Powwow pageantry was mesmerizing.

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Outside of the PowWow event and the Stampede events, it was a Fair with agricultural exhibits, an exhibit that let kids feel how to milk a cow named Bluebell, amusement park rides, entertainment events, and food. And there were lots of Cowboy hats and boots.

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We flew home the next day with great memories of the entire vacation.

Food Particulars:

In Calgary we had lunch at the Calcutta Cricket Club. The service and food were wonderful. My lunch was a charred cabbage wedge in a Sri Lankan coconut curry--rich and delicious.

Our first day in Alberta we arrived very much sleep deprived and hungry in Calgary and drove to Banff. On the way we stopped at The Market Bistro in Canmore. Our late lunch was so good that we stopped again on the way back to Calgary.