Calgary – Page 3 – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

The Wreck City Project

I’m always saying that I want to do more cultural things in Calgary. The truth is, I just usually don’t know about the happenings. Calgary was named Culture Capital of Canada in 2012, so undoubtedly there are lots of things to do. I need to start doing these things.

Yesterday I met up with my friend Adriane and she says to me she says: “I have something really cool we can go to!” Then she sends me the link for “Wreck City: An Epilogue for 809”. Hmm… I was intrigued. (http://wreckcityproject.wordpress.com/)

Taken from the website, Wreck City is a community-based art experiment transforming nine Sunnyside houses, three garages, and a greenhouse scheduled for demolition into temporary art, installation, and performance spaces. Sounded cool to me! I also read that the 809 Gallery was one of Calgary’s influential garage galleries (though I don’t claim to know what that truly means). It’s sad to see the demolition of old character houses, especially in a city like Calgary with constant construction and expansive urban sprawl. So the event is a send-off, and a way to commemorate the history of the artsy neighbourhood. After dinner and drinks at the Kensington Pub, Adriane and I made our way over to the houses for a walkthrough.

Concrete... representing the demolition? That's all I got. — Concrete… representing the demolition? That’s all I got.

I’ve never been great at interpreting art. I acknowledge that there’s a level of subjectivity to art, but I remember walking through the Tate Modern in London and pretending to really ponder the meaning and influence of the many art pieces. Usually I came up with nothing.

So I was happy to discover that this event was not like that. Instead, the houses were complete canvases for artists and every room revealed something quite different, interesting, shocking, eerie, or hilarious. The awesome thing about it was that the crowd was large and diverse- many came out to see incredible creativity and just enjoy what was presented. And let me say… there is something for everyone. I even hope to visit it a second time in the coming week. Wreck City runs until April 27th and should not be missed!

Thanks Adriane! What a great event to attend :) — Thanks Adriane! What a great event to attend 🙂

Zoolights. Oooooh. Ahhhh.

After almost 4 years, I finally went to see the Zoolights at the Calgary Zoo. In fact, after almost 4 years, it was my first time to the Calgary Zoo period. Isn’t that crazy? The lights were pretty. Very very pretty. And what better way to spend an evening than to walk around with some hot chocolate and admire pretty lights. Ooooh.

Devonian Gardens. Four Years Later.

When I was preparing for the big move to Calgary, I remember wondering: What kind of attractions are in Calgary anyway? I remember reading about Devonian Gardens in the downtown mall, and I was looking forward to seeing it! After settling in to my apartment downtown, it was a surprise to learn that the gardens had closed in 2008 and were undergoing quite an overhaul.

An overhaul that would take 4 years!

Devonian Gardens reopened this past June, and it apparently took $37 million dollars. 4 years, and $37 million. And there are 550 trees of 18 different species. All in The Core shopping area downtown. Wow.

I finally had a chance to eat lunch in the gardens today, and they truly form quite an oasis. I would love to work downtown with easy access to that area, especially during the winter months where one can feel the warmth and humidity among all the greenery. So pretty!

The Force of 5 Gs Feels like Awesome!

Bobsledding at Canada Olympic Park. No, this was not us.

The conclusion of an adventure-filled weekend was a bobsledding ride. My conversation with Dan regarding bobsledding was pretty much the same as ice climbing. I had sent a list of cool Alberta things to do and he responded: “The bobsled ride is $169. Personally, I’m willing to fork that over for 60 seconds of adrenaline.” Canada Olympic Park (COP) in Calgary, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics, has a bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track. You may remember this track from the film Cool Runnings, and that movie made bobsledding look so fun! So with that, bobsledding was booked for the same weekend as ice climbing. What’s the appeal? I was buying what they were selling: 1 professional driver. 14 turns. A max speed of 120 km/h. A pull of 5 Gs. All in 60 seconds. Sold.

How could I say no to this?

We arrived at the bobsleigh start house at the top of COP, signed in, signed waivers, and waited for the professional drivers to say their thing. They began by telling us what we could expect- the first three turns would feel like a glorified toboggan ride, but it would pick up after that. We’d hit a bunch of turns, a straight section, some more turns, and then the end (…it was a little more detailed than that explanation). We could also expect our head to possibly bounce a bit from side to side, and the force of 5Gs would feel like pressure pushing right down on our heads. NBD. No big deal, right? But not NBD! I’m quite an adventurous guy, and for some reason, it’s fairly uncommon for me to feel the level of nervousness that I felt while waiting for our bobsledding experience. We were in sled number 4, so as we waited for those 20 minutes or so, my nervousness kept increasing. I thought, what’s this sensation I’m feeling?!? Am I scared? I think I was! Being fitted for a helmet made me a little bit more at ease, but not by much.

Yes, I accept the risks. I’ve signed many of these forms in my lifetime :S

Watching the start of a bobsleigh ride. Are those nerves I feel?…

Yes, I’m totally feeling the nerves!!

Then it was time. Some random guy was at the back, then Dan, then me, then the professional driver. And then we were off. To be honest, I can’t even give a play-by-play of what happened. Yes, the first few turns felt like a nice glorified toboggan ride. Then the speed picked up. Before I knew it, turns were coming and going (you couldn’t even separate or distinguish the turns in order to count out 14); my helmet was knocking the sides of the bobsled; my head was being pushed down due to the force; the track zoomed by in my peripheral vision; and then ice was flying in my face as the brakes were pulled. All in 60 seconds. I believe we hit a speed of 119 km/h- awesome! When it was done, you could hear Dan and I giggling and laughing. The adrenaline rush was intense. I was so wobbly and almost tumbled coming out of the bobsled. It was an incredible experience!!!…. then I kind of felt like I was going to vomit. And that sensation lasted for quite a while. And then I had a headache for the majority of the evening. However, I did get a special commemorative COP toque. It was all totally worth the toque.

Dan and I with the driver. This is going to be 60 seconds of awesome!

The moral of the story: For me, 119 km/h, 14 turns and a force of 5Gs all in 60 seconds will induce a nice vomiting sensation, which may or may not have anything to do with having a full breakfast, a coffee, a cappuccino and a muffin earlier in the day. But whatever my stomach is feeling, it doesn’t detract from an absolutely incredible bobsleigh ride! Dan- it was great to share this adventurous experience with you. The other moral of the story? Like ice climbing, this is another must try for all. As I conclude the weekend, I can now cross off two more items from my 31 before 31 list. Whoohoo! Time to plan the next adventure…

Yes, I am an adrenaline junkie!

The Energizer Night Race

Last night, my friend Shari and I participated in the Energizer Night Race in support of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. Both Shari and I are members of research groups affiliated with the Libin, and we felt it was important to show our support. Also, the money raised provides funds for research and education in cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention programs. According to the website, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Canada, so this is important stuff!!

Shari and I posing for a pre-race photo… with the sunset

At North Glenmore Park. Who knew??

The race looked like it would be lots of fun. We signed up for the 10km run, which would take place at North Glenmore Park. The area is quite beautiful- I’m not sure how I hadn’t discovered it before in Calgary! I guess there’s so much to learn about this great city :D. In preparation for the race, we were given the usual running shirt swag, but since it was a night race, we also received an Energizer 4 LED headlight! Yes, we support the Libin and running and health promotion and disease prevention… but we were so excited about this ‘free’ headlight :). I use the term ‘free’ loosely because the registration was pretty steep, but it all goes to a great cause, so I’m not complaining.

All smiles before the race

“I’m happy to be running!”

Runners with their headlights at the starting line

We crossed the starting line at 9:30 pm. The sun was setting in the distance behind the mountains, and soon afterwards, a full moon shone brightly in the night sky. And then all you could see were bobbing headlights running through the park. Now THAT was definitely awesome. As if cardiovascular health wasn’t reason enough to complete the race, a huge incentive was the free beer being offered at the end. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but boy did that beer taste so good after finishing the 10K. Truthfully, Shari and I had not really been running since conquering our first half marathon, so we were both a bit nervous about the run. But we crossed that finish line with huge smiles, acknowledged a job well done with treats and a drink, and supported a very good cause. All in all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday night 🙂 Go Team 403!

This is so much fun!

Celebrating a run well done with free beer 🙂

Here’s a video of us running. We are so cool it hurts.