Exploring Okotoks, AB with Ford for Canada 150!

Disclosure: This post about our trip to Okotoks for Canada 150 has been sponsored by Ford. We were given a Ford Fusion Sport to test drive as well as compensations in the form of tickets, gas, etc in exchange for our write up. As always, all opionons are my own.

Canada is turning 150 this year. Ford Canada invited me to join them in celebrating Canada’s birthday by getting out and enjoy what Canada has to offer while trying out one of their great vehicles. You see, you don’t have to go to Ottowa to celebrate Canada 150. Instead, visit all the great places near you that you may have missed.

We’ve spent a bit of time in Okotoks over the last few years but not much. Before Nana passed away, she was in a hospice there. So we spent many hours there without seeing much of the city or taking in any of the sights. Today, we were going to see two of the things they are most famous for: the glacial erratic (aka the big rock) and an Okotoks Dawgs baseball game. Calgary is only 18 kms north and we’d never done either.

Before we could start our Canada150 adventure, we had to pick up our Ford car that we were testing. Evan was stoked to find out that it was an Electric Blue Ford Focus Sport. His main reasons? 1. The color matched his shirt perfectly and 2. When we plugged the iPhone in with the USB cable the sounds of Pokemon Go went all through the car. When you are 10, these are the important things.

Next we picked up Dewey and hit the road South.

We didn’t really need to use the in-dash navigation but why not use it if you have it! It is super simple to use and you type in your info just like in Google Maps. It even starts searching before you are done. See those little blue dots below the arrow in the pic above? Those are breadcrunbs that show where you’ve been so you can back track easily. This is great for when you are travelling somewhere you don’t know very well. We got to Okotoks with no problems!

First stop? The Okotoks Glacier Erratic. So what is it exactly? It’s a 16,500 tonne boulder made of quartzite on the flat prairies of Okotoks. It was left on the prairies by a glacier way back when. You can learn everything you never knew you didn’t know about The Big Rock on Wikipedia.

It’s only 8 km West of Okotoks and it can be a quick stop or you can spend more time exploring. I also think it would be a great place to picnic. I’ve seen pictures in the past of people climbing on the rocks but we stayed outside the fence and on the path. It is amazing to think that glaciers can move such huge stones and then leave them behind.

This was a great stop for Evan because he has been studying the Blackfoot cutlure at school. The legend of Napi explains how the stones came to be on the plains.

Next, we headed over to the ball park. We waffled about where to have dinner. Heartland Cafe is our favourite restaurant in Okotoks but what is a ball game without some great ball park snacks? Plus, we waited too long to get tickets in actual seats so we wanted to snag a great spot on the berm to watch the game.

We found a great spot on the hill beside the visitor’s side and spread out our blanket. I wasn’t sure about sitting in the grass for the game but we ended up enjoying it. Evan loved that he could roll around in the grass plus he found a group of kids to play with during the game. Plus Diggity, the Dawg’s mascot spends lots of time with the kids on the berm.

I was very impressed with all the food and drink options at the ball park. We snagged hamburgers and a smokie from the bbq area but there were tons of other options. I also REALLY liked that the food prices were much less expensive than those in Calgary. Bring on the snacks!

The only negative to berm seats is that the sun shines in your eyes for most of the game. Regardless, we had a great time hanging out and watching the game.

We ended up leaving a bit before the game was over (it was a work night for my hubby) but we would definitely do it again. One thing I didn’t know is that the Okotoks Dawgs is a part of the Western Major Baseball League which is a collegiate summer league. So all the players are actually college students on their break. Cool, right? It makes for a fun and interesting evening. There are lots of games left in the Dawgs Season too!

As we headed back into town, we talked about our thoughts on the car.

• Evan loved it and gave it two big thumbs up. In fact, he said that he wanted one when he grows up. He figures it will be the perfect car for him and his 6 pugs(!). He also really loved that you could change the colour of the ambient lighting in the car.
• Dewey was quite impressed (and surprised) by how peppy the Ford Fusion Sport was. He drives a super powerful sports car so he was expecting to be underwhelmed but wasn’t (and that is saying a lot). The 2.7L EcoBoost^® V6 engine did not disappoint.
• I loved the handling, the styling and all the extra bells and whistles it has (like adaptive cruise control, auto start and more). I also really liked that the cup holders were in a great spot for me. I know that sounds dumb but my current car’s cup holders are THE WORST. They are where my elbow needs to be not my cup.

I also thought the gear dial (instead of a gear shift) was super cool though it took a bit to get my brain wrapped around. Here’s where can learn more about the Ford Fusion Sport.

Evan was super sad when we had to drop the car back off at Ford. He wanted to keep it FOREVER. Thankfully, one day he can buy one of his very own.

Overall, we had a great day exploring what Canada has to offer. Where could YOU visit close to your home that you haven’t made time for before? Go! Explore!