Starting off from Boundary Ranch in Kananaskis, our Saturday began with a trail ride through the Rocky Mountains on horseback. A trail ride is really just an excuse to see scenery while the horse does all the work. We were given basic instructions about controlling the horse, but for the most part they knew the drill by heart and our main concern was just not falling off or cramping too badly.
I was paired with Duke, a chill horse that liked to keep a fair distance from my sister's horse in front of us no matter how many times I tried to make him catch up. It was probably for the best, as her horse seemed to enjoy rubbing its face on the butt of the horse in front of it. A fart-smelling horse if you will, and there was a lot of that.
This was nothing in comparison to Moose though, the horse my dad was riding. Moose seemed to be just as stubborn and entertaining as his rider, and kept trying to eat, walk as close to tree branches as he could, and forge his way off of the trail at the least convenient times. At one point I turned and noticed that Moose had chosen a far more precarious path through an especially thick patch of pine trees as my dad jokingly cursed at him. There hasn't been a better pairing since the Lone Ranger and Silver, and their antics added some welcome humor to the ride. It was a fun time.
One of my favorite parts of the Medicine Hat Stampede and Exhibition has always been the old machines, tractors, and vehicles that go on display. There was a really nice collection this year from local auto clubs and enthusiasts, and it was cool to see all of the work that had gone into restoring these modes of transport from the 20th century. I found the colours of the cars to be just as unique.
With the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, last weekend my family and I all met up in Canmore, Alberta for a short vacation. My parents had given my sister, brother, and I our own rooms at the Creekside Inn and planned activities in Kananaskis as one of our Christmas presents last year.
I drove up with my folks on the Friday and we met up with my brother and sister later that evening. We had lots of really great food, including the ribs that I had at the Iron Goat and the ravioli that I had at Luna Blue downtown. The change of scenery always seems to make those ordinary moments standout, and it was nice to spend time with everyone in such a beautiful place.
Our time in Canmore was really just a warm up. The real fun was the Paddle & Saddle package that we were doing, which included a horseback trail ride through the mountains, and white water rafting down the Kananaskis River. We managed a trip to the Calgary Zoo on our way up, and my sister and I stopped at Canada Olympic Park on our way home to check out Canada's Sports Hall of Fame before meeting up with more of the family at my Grandma's place on Sunday afternoon.
We created a lot of new memories, inside jokes, and stories, but here's a bit of the backdrop that we were playing in to kick things off.
