Calgary is a city that grew on grass and cattle and then struck oil, and it has the swagger of both. It sits at the meeting of the Bow and Elbow rivers on the western edge of the prairies, at about a thousand metres above sea level, with the Rocky Mountains visible on the western horizon like a white wall when the air is clear. The Calgary Tower, finished in 1968, rises above the downtown skyline, and the glass offices around it are home to a large share of Canada's oil and gas companies.
The city's roots are older. The North-West Mounted Police built a fort here in 1875 to put an end to the whisky trade and keep order among the plains peoples, who knew this place as Mohkinstsis, and the arrival of the railway a decade later turned it into a ranching centre. The Calgary Stampede, started in 1912 and held every July, is the legacy, ten days of rodeo, chuckwagon races and pancake breakfasts that take over the whole city. Anyone visiting in that week should expect crowds and cowboy hats.
The riding starts the moment you leave town. A fast road south on Highway 2 and then west toward Fort Macleod crosses open ranchland, with the Rockies at your right shoulder, and the wind is a constant presence, often strong enough to make a bike lean. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, about two hours away, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Blackfoot drove bison off a sandstone cliff for thousands of years, and the interpretive centre built into the hillside is one of the best of its kind. West of the city, Highway 22, the Cowboy Trail, rolls through foothills and ranches with fine views.
The weather can turn quickly. A chinook wind can raise temperatures by twenty degrees in hours in winter, and a summer afternoon storm can arrive with hail. Be prepared with rain gear, and watch for deer and cattle on rural roads.
With over a million people, Calgary has fuel and food everywhere, and its restaurants are among the best in the prairies. Alberta beef is the obvious choice, and bison is also a good option.
Give yourself an evening on the Bow River pathway, where the cottonwoods are lit by the low sun and the city feels more like a big town.