That would be me on the front left side of the raft in the picture below. In fact, the first five people in the front of the raft are my family as we made our way down the Kananaskis River last weekend. This picture especially seems to capture just how lively our little weekend getaway ended up being.
After a trail ride on horseback that morning, we rounded out the Saddle & Paddle package by white water rafting with Inside Out Experience. For the most part the water was pretty manageable, but there were still some really fun rapids and we definitely got soaked. The freezing cold water seemed to produce just as much adrenaline as the rapids actually did. The scenery around Kananaskis was as beautiful as ever and the weather was great.
The parallels to our family getaway last year seemed apparent to all of us. In 2011 we took a jet boat up the South Saskatchewan River on a cold and rainy day that left us freezing, despite planning for a hot day. This year we took a raft down the Kananaskis on what did end up being a hot summer day, but by the very nature of the activity ended up freezing anyway. This time I didn't mind.
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.
