The Backpacker Returns

Ahhhhhhh . . . . .

So a whirlwind week of excitement has come to an end for the Bearded Backpacker. Mon parents have come and gone and along the way there were a number of adventures. This week I will share these journeys with you the only way I know how. Chronologically. So my parents arrived here in the New West on July 22nd. It was a lovely Saturday here in Alberta and of course we needed to take advantage of the nice weather by making a short trip to Ikea, I think . . . that was a week ago and I’m not much for note taking.


Anyway after that we decided to take a drive out to Banff, Alberta to check out the rocky mountain resort town. There are lot of shops and touristy things in that town and of course great architecture and rocky mountain vistas. It was a tiring day though with myself and my folks deciding sleep was not necessary the night before, what with them getting an early flight and me unable to sleep because of the excitement of their visit. Anyway it was all in all a great start to the visit and things would only get better as the week went on.

I'm Still Travelling

Sorry loyal readers I am compiling a series of new adventures and will soon have an update for you on the happenings of the Bearded Backpacker.

The Backpacker's parents have come for a visit and have kept him rather busy, but don't worry the tales of excitement, adventure and tom foolery you have grown to love will be coming soon.

Plus I just can't get over the shock of Garth Snow being named the new GM of the New York Islanders. What's up with that?

Later

Here are some of the things I saw at the Calgary Stampede


Weadickville is where I saw the cops take down a couple of ne'er do wells.

There was some good carnie food at the Stampede. Corn dogs were one and mini-donuts were another.
Look its a cow and man did it smell good, whooo wee!!!!

The Snow Birds were actually part of the opening day festivities of the Stampede and were flying right over my apartment that day. It's quite the experience having planes, choppers and fireworks hovering overhead for 10 straight days, but it was all in good fun.

And of course the super dogs. If you look close you can see a streak. They were so fast I couldn't get a good picture. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the sites of my Stampede experience. Where does the Bearded Backpacker go from here? Only time will tell. Y'all have a good time now you hear.

YEE-HAW!!!

So the Calgary Stampede has come to an end and their appears to be a collective hangover in this city. 10 straight days of partying can do that. And what a party it was with all the breakfasts, fireworks and cowboys invading the city. As you know the bearded backpacker did his part to get involved with the greatest outdoor show on earth. I did some volunteering at the Erin Woods Stampede Stomp, I ate a few free breakfasts, I wore a cowboy hat and I attended the Stampede itself. Unfortunately I did not get to the rodeo this year, but there was still plenty to do at the Stampede.

I went to the the stampede with the goal of doing at least two things. Eating a corn dog and having some of the world famous mini-donuts, dang they were so good. What I didn't expect to do was witness some of the most amazing dogs in the world, the Super Dogs. These four legged critters were a standing room only affair and their ability to run, leap and dart were pretty darn exciting let me tell ya.

I spent most of my time at the Stampede taking in the sites and made sure to drop by the agriculture tent to check out the livestock. That's a smell I won't soon forget. Still I salute the hard working farmers of this country who put the food on our table. Awesome

So visiting the Ag Palace was quite possibly the highlight of my journey to the Stampede grounds, that was until I got to see some of Calgary's finest manhandle a troublemaker at the fair. Me and my compadre were getting ready to leave the Stampede when we heard a commotion and when we looked over we saw the police restraining some yahoo. It seemed like they had the situation under control when johnny numbnuts decided he was bigger than the 'MAN' and was going to break free from the coppers by tripping one of the officers. Good move. That only seemed to aggravate the police more and we soon had front row seats to an all-Canadian beat down. The cops picked chumley up and introduced him to the asphalt. That's when buddy boy starts talking tough like if the cops weren't retraining him he would show them a thing or two. Yeah right. All we could do was laugh. That made my Stampede. I can't wait until next year.

YEE-HAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So long Stampede.

Well today is the last day of the 2006 Calgary Stampede. I attended Day 9 of the greatest outdoor show on earth and will have more to say about it all tomorrow. There were some highlights like the super dogs, but wait until tomorrow and I'll tell you more.

FREE BREAKFAST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES! I have taken part in the great Stampede tradition of the free pancake breakfast. Everyday during the greatest outdoor show on earth there is someone offering a free breakfast. Even Ralph Klein and Stephen Harper get involved in the flapjack flipping.

I have been to three breakfasts so far, two of them free. The other one I went to I made a small donation to the Canadian Red Cross because contrary to popular belief, the Bearded Backpacker does believe in Human Rights.

The breakfasts have all been good and there have been some celebrity sightings. I saw local sportscaster Grant Pollock and Conservative MP Lee Richardson serving up the hotcakes.

All this free food has reminded me of the tremendous support I have received in my journey to Calgary from the four flava folks with the absolute number one terrier in the world. Massive props to to the double b-c-double d. You guys have been the best friends a guy could have.

Anyway, free food is good and if you are looking for a chance to dine out on pancakes just follow your nose.

Cowboys and Baseball

So here I'm again with another adventure from the Bearded Backpack travel guide. So I played my first organized softball game ever and let me tell you it was not always pretty. Although I was fine in the field when it came to swinging the bat I looked more like a Looney Tune cartoon screwing my self into ground because my mighty swing missed the ball by a country mile. I struck out once, but was able to knock in a few RBI's in the team's 21-17 win, quite the pitchers' battle. All in all though it was a good time.

Also yesterday was the beginning of my transformation into a cowboy with the purchase of my first cowboy hat in some 25 years. I was able to find a hat that actually fit my ginormous head. This hat will let me blend in better with the locals and also protects me well from the mighty sun here in the foothills.

Another interesting thing that happened Sunday was the weather warning issued for the region and the baseball sized hail that was falling in towns east of Calgary. In the city the hail may have got as big as a golf ball, but mostly they were marble sized. Its a wonderful feeling being pelted with ice.

The stampede continued despite the weather and something Ottawa would never allow, the fireworks went on well after midnight. Yee-haw

So tomorrow I will be out looking for a free pancake breakfast, pictures to follow.

Y'all have a good one now.

My first taste of the Stampede

So yesterday I volunteered at just one of the many community based Stampede events in the great city of Calgary. I went to the Stampede Stomp in Erin Woods, a community in the city's Southeast. The locals were fun loving and offered me free food in exchange for me helping with the Sumo wrestling pit. I stepped into the pit calling on all challengers and defeating them all. Nobody could compete with the mighty power of the great Bearded Backpacker. I scared some small children and injured another person, but I would not allow anyone to defeat me. Ha Ha Ha.

I AM THE CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a good time.

I'm still getting fitted for my cowboy hat, but don't worry as soon as I get it I will make sure to post a picture.

Anyway, my next adventure will be my first foray into semi-competitive slo-pitch. I will make sure to update y'all on this next adventure in the urban jungle that is Calgary.

I reckon it will be a swell time. YEE-HAW

So it Begins

Welcome to what I hope will be the first of many rants, musings, observations etc etc into the world of the bearded backpacker. I have begun a new chapter in my life after leaving the world of Ottawa that I have know for the past 13 years and set out across country to see what Calgary and Alberta can offer me.

I have done something I wasn't sure I would ever do considering I was so opposed to even moving to Gatineau because of the inconvience that it would create for me.

My opposition to Quebec may have cost me the woman I loved, but it also told me that I was not living the life I wanted in Ottawa and despite the anxiety and fear I had welling up inside me about moving across country I went forward with what is possibly the biggest decision of my life.

I have left a lot of good people behind in my former home and I miss them a lot and it was saying goodbye to those friends that made this decision so difficult, but it was also their support that made me realize it was a decision necessary for me to make if I wanted to reach my full potential.

I have been in Calgary now for two months and although the first few weeks were full of sadness and homesickness I am starting to love this city more more and the people I have met so far have been great.

As I write this the greatest outdoor show on earth is just getting up and running and my transformation to a cowboy is about to begin. I will have to start with a hat and go from there, but soon I'll be rustling cattle and racing chuckwagons.

The essence of the bearded backpacker will be to relate the stories and adventures of life in Cowtown and Alberta. I may also share opinions and of course obsess about hockey, How about those free agent signings, but mostly it will be about the adventures. So I hope you will take the time to drop by and read up on me, my adventures and the people I meet.

Just remember, there will always be fools, bureaucratic fools.