We
woke to a cold morning but no snow on the ground. The hotel pointed
us in the direction of the public transport network and we made our
way to Tourist Information. Here we were loaded up with yet another
small tree of information, most of which we know we will not have
time to read through. With the rodeo in town the whole city has gone
country mad and there are bales of straw, cowboy outfits and
paintings on windows all around town to celebrate.
From
Tourist Info we walked up towards the City Hall passing Sir Winston
Churchill Square on the way. Here they had display of farm machinery
which captivated both of us in the same way as a display in an art
gallery. There were tractors of all sizes, a combine harvester, a
bale wrapper and all sorts of other machines. Unfortunately, most
had no information to tell you what they were or how they work. I am
now fascinated to know how a combine harvester works. Some of them
were huge with their own in built set of stairs to access the
drivers cab. They are complex too, able to adjust how they work
based on the yield and moisture of the crops they are processing.
In City Hall there were the opening ceremonies for the rodeo.
The building itself is a big open space with a main hall designed as
an auditorium. Here a small stage had been set up for the organisers
to do their stuff. They paraded the “Miss Rodeo” of each province,
some of whom no doubt won the title due to their horse-based skills
rather than for their looks. They also had a competition for young
boys to lasso a dummy bull. These kids are really skilled,
especially the under fives group, and were pretty competitive with
it. I had never realised before that a lasso is made of a really
stiff rope – explains why we have never managed to lasso anything
when we have tried on one of those silly sunny evenings back home!
One of the leaflets they gave us at Tourist Information was for
historical walking tours of the downtown area. Today, the downtown
is full of high rise blocks and shopping malls so even though you
can spot the old buildings you do not really get a feel for them.
The booklet had old black and white photos taken at the time the
buildings were finished so you get to see them in their original
setting. It was more interesting to take the tour by reading the
booklet than actually walking around.
From the main downtown we took the bus towards Old Strathcona,
according to Lonely Planet a “charming and vibrant area …… rich in
historical buildings”. Rather than waiting for the bus we had been
told to get, Stef opted for the first one crossing the river so we
ended up having a little bit of a detour and a change of bus to get
where we wanted to. Looking down 82 (Whyte) Avenue, the main street
of Old Strathcona from the bus we decided not to get off. Neither of
us found the place charming or vibrant. In fact it really concreted
for us the views we have been building of Canadian cities. Although
they have some old buildings they all seem a little soulless and
this area was no different.
We decided to head back across the river to visit the
Legislature building. Again, public transport let us down. The
driver of the first bus we hopped on said he did not go where we
wanted to but that he would show us where to change. He kept his
word and told us the number of the next bus we needed but, when that
bus arrived, they also said they did not go our way! In the end we
gave up and walked.
The Legislature Building is set in large landscaped grounds on
a hill overlooking the North Saskatchewan River. At the Interpretive
Centre they told us how they try to get the local community to use
the grounds. There is a green bowling area and in the winter they
have a skating rink. In the run up to winter, local choirs sing
carols in the main hall of the legislature so people come with their
families to skate, listen to the carols and get a warming cup of hot
chocolate, all free of charge.
We missed the last tour of the day into the building itself but
the Interpretive Centre had a display explaining the founding of the
building and its development and use over the years. Although it
looks similar to many other beaux-arts buildings, the first
architect was booted out because his designs were not different
enough. I am not sure how the second one got away with it! It was a
massive construction project and the building was finished in 1912.
At that time, it was an isolated building with clear expanses of
land all around. Now it is the middle of high rise office blocks and
hotels.
Underneath the gardens there are walkways and tunnels leading
to the Centre and to the transport network. Skylights help to keep
some daylight in this underground warren. Some time in the 1990’s
they renovated the gardens and added a new sculpture, in the form of
a periscope. It is three tall pillars each placed over a skylight
and with a mirror at the top. It enables people walking in the
underground tunnels to look up and see the gardens outside.
We went back to the hotel to warm up and chill out for an hour
or so before heading off to the rodeo. We caught the LRT (Light Rail
Transit) from Corona to Coliseum. The LRT is Edmonton’s tube system
and it has all of ten stops. For a fair chunk of the week travelling
between five of the ten stations is free of charge. I would say that
about ninety percent of the people on the LRT were going to the
rodeo, the volume of Stetson hats was a dead give away!
The rodeo was a real spectacle. We were sat up in the high
stands next to a couple from British Columbia who have come for all
five days. Unlike the football match we had seen in Toronto, here
the rodeo was the main activity. They had a raffle and a couple of
sponsor based freebie give aways but they usually took place as they
were changing from one event to another.
We were both amazed at the skills that these people developed
and the bravery, or stupidity, that they displayed. Most events
could have resulted in pretty nasty injuries and there were a few
very close shaves but the cowboy “lifeguards” worked well and kept
all of the cowboys safe. The cowboys each seemed to specialise in a
different type of event. The first event was bare back riding of
bucking horses. Straps are tied tightly around the horse’s nether
regions and this, combined with the spurring from the cowboy is what
seems to cause them to buck.
The rules are pretty strict and any slight infringement leads
to penalty points or disqualification. Extra points are given based
on how good the technique is. The challenge is to stay on for eight
seconds – sounds easy? These guys only hold on with one hand and
seeing it close up it looks pretty difficult. Another event was
similar but this time the cowboys sat in saddles rather than bare
back.
A couple of events were based on wrestling steers to the ground
and getting them tied up and, in effect, disabled. Again strict
rules apply and these are technical events. The riders have to get
their horses to cover one hundred and fifty feet in about four
seconds from standing start. Whilst doing this they have to judge
the speed of the steer, accurately lasso them then man handle them
to the ground. There is a team event where one cowboy lasso’s the
head then the other has to try and get both rear legs – pretty
tricky stuff!
A token event is thrown in for the ladies. About speed and
accuracy they have to race around a short course in a clover leaf
shape trying not to knock over barrels standing at each “point” of
the clover. They shoot out of the starting area and whiz around the
course almost skidding around the corners. It was incredibly fast
and requires a close balance of speed and proximity to the barrels.
The final and most dangerous event is the climax of the rodeo –
bull riding. The principles are really the same as the bucking
horses but the bulls have the capacity to do a lot more damage and
the “lifeguards” are also not on hand. I think only one rider
managed to last the full eight seconds. We both really enjoyed the
rodeo and I am glad we went. I do not think my interest would last
to watching the same people doing the same events another six times
though but then I am not a hardened fan!
