Rodeo Finals Day

Last day at the rodeo and last day for the rodeo. Today the rodeo finals where the final 10 in each event get to see if their luck is as good as their skill. We left the park at 11 am and headed for the stampede grounds. Once again the weather is great; sunny and 60. When we got there we had some time before the rodeo started so we visited the Indian Village. The Indian tribes of Alberta set up tepees and perform dances and other performances during the Stampede. The Indians were part of the first Stampede in 1912 and are an integral part today, not just something that has been added in recent years. For the rodeo events the top 10 compete for the final four spots and then those four compete for $100,000. It was obvious that most of the competitors brought their A game as the scores were consistently higher than in previous days. Also, the rodeo stock were the cream of the crop as only about half of the cowboys in the bull riding and bareback bronco riding managed to stay on long enough to get a score. Each event champion also received a large bronze sculpture depicting the event they won. At the end of the finals it was back on the bus for the return to the park. We have to rest up for the trip tomorrow to Lake Louise and Bannf.
One additional note from yesterday. The Adventure Caravan folks hosted an ice cream social. After the ice cream was consumed they drew names for some prizes and we won an Adventure Caravan back pack. We haven’t used one before but have come to the conclusion that at times it will be useful.