Tuesday, July 24, 2018

MY TRIP TO CALGARY

      Yesterday I had an appointment in Calgary Alberta. Calgary is 147 km (95 mi) away so it's no big trip but for me it is a big deal.

       Calgary has a little over 1.3 million people. For me that's a huge  city but some of you will smile and some will scoff when I think that a city with this population is huge. When I came here in 1969 the population was not quite 300 000 so it's grown over the years. We used to go to Calgary 2 or  3 times a year. When our daughter lived there we went more than 2 or thee time a year. Since our daughter moved we rarely go to Calgary so we are not used to it. Calgary seems like a sprawling busy city with large industrial areas and many ugly malls.

     The highway to Calgary is a 4 lane divided highway but traffic is extremely heavy. There are many large trucks. The are also light trucks and they think they're big, so traffic an sometimes be chaotic. I saw one guy with an old beater of a motor home with a boat behind it and he floored the motor home and stayed in the left lane!

    I found the appointment location. It's in a mile long area with malls on both sides of the street. Malls and mall buildings are absolutely ugly. There were huge parking lots and very few empty stalls. I realized later that it was a Ctrain station so commuters parked their cars there.

     Now one thing I wasn't prepared for is to find 90% of the people in the mall were Asians.We tried to ask for directions a few times and they did not speak English. So I was surprised at the density of Asians.

    Part of getting out of the city is the dreaded Deer Foot Trail. It's a freeway with a speed limit of 110 kmph but everybody is doing 130. Except in rush hour the traffic can stop and stop and go. It's a mean piece of road.

    To add to an interesting situation a strong thunderstorm rolled in. First, there was dust then heavy rain and the visibility was poor.

    So you can imagine this little old man finding his way through a busy town that has grown so much that he doesn't recognize much of it anymore. I know the solution is go there and keep up with the times.
 Image result for calgary alberta

32 comments:

  1. I refuse. I cannot handle a situation like that. That’s when I call on children or friends.

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    1. My problem is that I don't drive in situations like this often enough to be used to it.

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  2. I can understand why it would seem so very busy and chaotic if you don't get there very often. I find it tiring to spend time in large cities where I don't know where the rest areas are or where to get a quick refreshment or go to the washroom without having to buy a meal and so on. I haven't been to Calgary in ages but I remember how fantastic the scenery was south of Calgary all the way to BC. Simply spectacular.

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    1. Yes, beautiful ranch country up against the the Rockies. Don't forget Kananaskis country.

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  3. I live in a congested metropolitan area, so I understand what you are saying. While I'm used to it, congestion is still a pain.

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    1. Key word is used to it. I don't drive in it often enough to be used to it.

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  4. Two points Red:-
    1) You talked about the "density of Asians" but many Asians are clever people.
    2) Why don't you have the next drug consignment shipped directly to Red Deer?

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    1. Ha Ha! Yes Asians are clever and many of them are my good friends. No problem with drugs. the pot shops are open!!!

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  5. I now know Calgary well. Having been there at least twice, and the last time staying in a hotel there for a week. I did like the city and all the neat sculptures. the restaurants were great, if expensive. I guess it used to be known as a cattle town like Denver. I have been in bigger cities like New York, so find Calgary fairly easy to get around in, except it is hugely spread out.

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    1. Yes, Calgary is very long by north and south There are beautiful areas in the city. The area I was in the other day wsasawful.

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  6. I think you are right! We very carefully plan times to visit Ottawa.

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    1. Yes, we do have options to choose times when it's better.

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  7. I personally think 1.3 million is a good-sized city! Things change quite quickly in the big cities. And there is always so much going on. It can be quite dizzying.

    I used to live in a big city and now I just visit. Living in a smaller, more peaceful area is much more pleasant at this point in my life.

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    1. Hey, I hear ya. Red Deer is a little over 100000 so it's good for me.

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  8. Your going to Calgary sounds like me going to Seattle. It's big, scary and incredibly filled with stop and go traffic. I usually take the bus if I'm going there, so I don't have to drive. Glad you found your appointment location. And you got a good post out of it, too. :-)

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    1. The bus is awkward and the Greyhound bus is closing so we will have only one bus.

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  9. We were in Calgary a couple years ago. My brother in law and sister in law live at Ghost Lake. I love that area!

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    1. Ghost Lake isn't far from where I live.

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  10. Driving in traffic on a congested highway and during a downpour...all of my least favorite driving experiences as well Red. Thankfullu, Grenville handles it better than myself so I am the designated navigator on many of our trips. Glad you came and went safely. Thanks for the comment on our current road trip too.

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    1. One has to drive in busy conditions to get used to it and feel confident.

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  11. It's been a long while since I've been in vasectomy.

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  12. I drove through Calgary in 1990 when I went to Banff. I don't remember much about it, but it seemed a pretty big city even then. Interesting that there's such a high Asian population, at least in the area you visited!

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    1. Yes, ya gotta go through Calgary to get to Banff. The Asian high population is explainable but I would need much more space.

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  13. I have not been in a city that big in years, we hate the traffic in Fargo ND and the population there is 120,000 uffda over a million population and we would stay home. Glad you made it out alive.

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    1. I visited Minot often in the early 60's when I was a teacher near Estevan.

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  14. I sympathize! I'm definitely not a person who could live in a city.

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  15. Being a country girl at heart I am never really drawn to the city so can relate. Washington DC is a place I enjoy once I get there however but am always looking towards the mountains. The name Calgary has such a nice ring to it.

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  16. Hello, I would love to visit the Calgary area and the Canadian Rockies. It is on my wish list, but I do not enjoy driving in big cities. I am glad you had a safe trip. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead.

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  17. Your journey to Calgary sounds so much like our trips to San Francisco and even worse -- the dreaded Los Angeles area. So many cars, so many people driving FAST, so much happening all at once. I drove across Canada once in the mid 1970s. I remember Calgary being a nice city, and truly beautiful once you get through it and into the beautiful mountains to the west.

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  18. I grew up in a big city and after I got married, we've been living in much smaller places and love it. Killybegs has 1200 people and I love it.

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  19. 1.3 million is a very big city to me, even though I live in S. CA. I avoid LA and other populated areas like the plague... too confusing and the traffic is absolutely terrible. Good job navigating your way through a city that is no longer familiar to you!!

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  20. We don’t have a complicated downtown but it is busy and I stayed away from it. Now that I live eight miles away from it I find that I am getting use to it. It still isn’t easy but it is better than being scared of it. Our courthouse is downtown and I do have to go there once in a while. I can seem to stand up straight on my slopping front yard so dealing with the stepladder for me is a slow concentrated effort. My balance is being messed with as I get older. Be careful.

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