The Hat. That’s what Medicine Hat is often called when in a local conversation. It’s a city known for its natural gas deposits. Rudyard Kipling visited Medicine Hat and in his writings as a city” that has all hell as a basement”.

Did you know that this is the sunniest city in Canada? Winter skies are bright and summer is very warm. The average price for a detached, three-bedroom house is $365,000.

The city name comes from the indigenous word for the area meaning” hat of medicine man”.

The topography rolls with plenty of cattle grazing, oil wells pumping, and a proliferation of natural gas sites dotting the dry terrain.

Wendy and I have driven this road many times and this is what it is like from outside Calgary right on through to the other side of Swift Current….before it really flattens out!

The other thing which struck me on the drive was the way the land is used for energy. This is a pretty common sight (and site) along the roads, but then there are these massive wind farms that are also becoming quite common. Both energy sources but of very different kinds.