Alberta Foothills

As crazy as it may sound, the day we spent traveling around in the Alberta Foothills was one of my favorites of our trip to Canada.

Okotoks Pro Rodeo

The Alberta Foothills are well known for the numerous rodeos that they have every year. We were able to go to the Okotoks Pro Rodeo just south of Calgary.

We watched some great events including bronc riding, wild pony races, steer wrestling, bull riding, and roping.

High River, Alberta

The next morning, before leaving High River we stopped along Main Street to visit Maggie’s Diner which is a filming location for the television show “Heartland“.

I’ve been a fan of the show for years, so stopping by was a check off my Canada to-do list! Plus the town of High River is so picturesque. The perfect small town.

Bar U Ranch

We left town and headed west towards the historic Bar U Ranch.

I’m a pretty big history buff and the idea of a historical site dedicated to the Canadian ranching industry seemed right up my alley.

Guests can take a wagon ride from the visitor center down the hill to the ranch headquarters. The people that work at the ranch are so knowledgeable about its history and their stories shared are absolutely amazing.

You are able to walk around the ranch and explore the different buildings.

Look at those wide open spaces!

A creek runs through the center of the ranch headquarters and is lined on either side with beautiful shade trees. I could have stayed in this spot all day!

Dad and I took a moment to practice our roping skills. Obviously serious business. FYI… I caught! Even in flip flops.

The Bar U Ranch has a rich history of raising Percheron draft horses and the visitor center has numerous trophies their horses won in the early 1900’s.

I loved walking through the barns and seeing the old ranch equipment.

We were also able to see the bunkhouse and its kitchen. I know a few family get togethers that could have used a table like this! (The center of the table is a lazy susan turntable.)

I was a little jealous of how weed-free the garden was. Although I think the Midwest raises some better looking sweet corn. Hey Cowboy Scarecrow!

Of course Dad loved checking out the Case tractors in one of the ranch sheds. You can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can’t take the Iowa out of the boy!

Heartland Ranch

After spending a few hours at the Bar U Ranch, we made our way North along Highway 22. Highway 22 is known as The Cowboy Trail and runs through some of the most beautiful ranching country I’ve ever seen!