Tag: medicine-hat

Medicine Hat Curling Centre

August 26, 2025

On my second day in Medicine Hat I had an appointment downtown. I had tried to visit curling clubs in a few other towns in Canada but discovered most of them were not open in the summer (it IS a winter sport, JohnBoy…). Well after wasting time in Saskatoon driving to two different clubs I called ahead to see if the facility in Medicine Hat might be open. The phone was answered by the General Manager, Bryden Smith, who was in his office doing paperwork. He said I was welcome to come down and he would give me a personal tour!

It was in a large, ordinary building which I had actually driven past several times. I met him at the arranged time and the first thing he explained was that they were just now preparing to reopen the facility after it had been shut down for two years. Curling required a very precise surface and 2 years ago they had problems with the foundation under the “sheet,” or surface of the ice. They had to rip up the flooring and redo the foundation under it and were just getting ready to put down new equipment needed to maintain the ice surface.

Bryden took me to a second floor observation area overlooking where the sheets, or playing area, would be. There was a bar and restaurant along with tables for members and guests to gather. It also had an area for club trophies and photos.

The rolls you see above are made of flexible tubing which will cover the entire surface of the floor and will circulate a brine solution to freeze the water which is then sprayed on top of it. There will be 8 “sheets,” or lanes, used for competition. This facility used to have 12 sheets but with the problems that developed they decided to downsize to 8 and put up a wall to convert the other part of the building to a fitness center for the town.

Players glide stones, or “rocks” down the ice hoping to stop them in the center of the “house,” or target, at the other end of the sheet. Multiple rocks are thrown during an “end,” or inning, and strategy comes in to play as players try to knock their opponent’s rocks out of position or try to help move their own player’s rocks to better positions.

Rocks are made of granite and can weigh between 38 and 44 pounds. The handle is used to launch the rock and give it a subtle twist, or curl, just before releasing it. Each team uses a different color. Two players with brooms called “sweepers” accompany the rock towards it’s destination and, if needed, can use their brooms to try and influence the trajectory and speed of the rock (without touching it).

I believe it is a very misunderstood sport, and requires much practice and precision. Think of it as bowling, but with a heavier ball and a longer lane, and you need the ball to STOP where the 5-pin is. Oh, and all of this is done on ice. Players wear special shoes – one a “slider” which, as the name implies, enables them to slide on the ice, and the other, a “gripper” which gives them traction to change direction or stop.

Curling has it’s own vocabulary and there is MUCH more to it than I have tried to explain.

This facility has hosted provincial, national and international events.

There are special tools to shave the ice to precise specifications, and the brooms the “sweepers” use in competition MUST all have a standardized brush head that conforms to the rules. As with many sports, the equipment used is sometimes “tinkered with” to try and obtain a competitive edge but the organizers of professional competitions do their best to maintain a fair and level playing field.

Bryden spent a whole hour explaining everything to me and showing me around the facility, and I wish I had taken much better notes. He used to compete, and is obviously eager to get others interested and make sure they have a great facility to practice their skills and enjoy the camaraderie.

Here is a photo of their new and improved playing area:

(Photo credit: Tourism Medicine Hat)

Later in my trip I will actually be able to go to a local curling club, as my Airbnb hostess in that town plays in a league and had a match the night I was there. From the moment the first player launched the rock towards the house it was clear that this game is a lot harder than it looks!

Medicine Hat, Alberta

August 25, 2025

It was time to bid Saskatchewan a fond adieu and head back to Alberta province. Google Maps told me it would be a 4 3/4 hour drive southwest to Medicine Hat, just across the provincial border. I had stopped there briefly on my way to Moose Jaw and decided I would go back and spend more time there.

The trip consisted mostly of driving through open farmland. One place I noticed a pattern in a field which reminded me of similar sights elsewhere.

I had previously attributed the color pattern to different crops but I now wonder if it was crops and dirt (though the dirt here seemed freshly tilled).

It was an uneventful drive to Medicine Hat.

I went down to a city park near the river and found a man ready to go out on a paddleboard with his dog.

The dog was obviously ready to go.

I drove across town to the Big Marble Go Centre, a large multi-purpose complex with both indoor and outdoor activities.

There were some squared off spaces between the wall pillars and each had a unique wrought iron scene depicting life and industry in the area.

And atop the building was this back-lit bird.

There were pickleball and tennis courts outside, as well as numerous fields for sports activities.

Inside was a whole host of activities, from an ice rink, aquatic center and indoor courts which could be transformed for various uses.

They even had a climbing wall, though it was more for kids than adults.

And I found this to be an interesting idea:

On my way to The Go Centre I noticed another sports facility for kids and adults alike.

I also spotted a nice church near town. I am often impressed by religious buildings as they are generally well designed and maintained.

I decided to treat myself to a beer after my long travel day. I selected a place that was listed in TripAdvisor and they offered an alcoholic root beer on their menu which sounded interesting. I was disappointed to learn that they were out of it so I “had” to settle for a regular brew. And they didn’t even have any bar food to offer – only chips.

And as I was leaving I saw a sign giving a possible reason for the scant offerings:

Yikes! A 4 hour window. Well better that going out of business altogether, I suppose.

Calgary, AB to Moose Jaw, SK

August 19, 2025

Today would be a driving day. I would be traveling from NW of Calgary, near the western edge of southern Alberta province (though it is relatively narrow at the south end), to Moose Jaw, in south-central Saskatchewan province, which is much wider. Google Maps said it would take about 6 3/4 hours without stops, and would be all 4-lane highway. I don’t call it the dreaded interstate because I am in Canada. If anything it would be interprovince, but the highways up here have treated me very well so I have no reason to attach the “dreaded” moniker to them.

This going to sound crazy but I have wanted to go to Moose Jaw since 1977, when the movie Slapshot came out. It was about a fictional minor league hockey team with a bunch of misfit players, and included, what some might call above average hockey rough play which really drew attention to the team. It included the three Hanson brothers and another player whose name I don’t recall. At some point in the movie the fact that the brothers were from Moose Jaw and the other from Saskatoon (or vice versa) was mentioned. Ever since then I have wanted to go to those two places.

This was the view out my bedroom window during the night near Calgary- the moon and two planets.

When my Airbnb hosts in Golden and Canmore learned of my plan to go to Saskatchewan they told me – be prepared for prairie and farmland. Once you get out of the Rockies it will be flat as can be. No worries – the same is true in the US.

Not a mountain in sight.

I stopped for lunch in Medicine Hat, AB, which was about halfway to my destination. The first thing I saw before I got off the highway was the World’s Largest Teepee.

Well, maybe not authentic but it makes a good photo op. There was some indigenous artwork on display.

I stopped at the nearby Visitor Centre for maps and brochures and had a nice conversation with one of the workers there. He convinced me that there was enough here to see that I would add it to my itinerary later in the trip. Because of the possible air quality issues I had downsized my original plan which had included a stop in Medicine Hat.

I had learned of a small racetrack and r/c aircraft flying field north of town and set out to check them out quickly before I got back on the road. Before I got there I saw a sign indicating that neighboring Redcliff, Alberta is the Greenhouse Capital of the Prairies.

I found both the racetrack and the r/c flying field right next to each other but both were closed on the day I was there.

Spectators Welcome so long as there is someone here! I won’t even post a photo of the race track since I couldn’t get very close. For those of you that don’t know me, car racing is one of my interests, and I used to fly r/c helicopters for a few years and always stop in if I see a flying field somewhere.

I also learned that Medicine Hat is nicknamed “Gas City” because of an abundance of natural gas underground, and I passed a few businesses which process it for transportation by rail.

As soon as I crossed into Saskatchewan I started to see evidence that it was, in fact, largely farmland.

Huge silos and grain elevators. And to give you an idea how big this one is, here is a photo with vehicles parked next to it (way down in the lower left hand corner).

Further up the road, another one:

Before I got to Moose Jaw I came to a large lake and noticed a raised observation platform:

The signage indicated that Reed Lake is a seasonal stopover for migratory birds. It is the second largest saline inland water body in Canada.

When I finally arrived in Moose Jaw I discovered that one can even get poutine at McDonald’s in Canada.

Poutine is basically french fries covered with cheese curds and brown gravy. I tried it a few years ago when I was in Quebec (where it originated) but it is not something I should really be eating…

I arrived at my Airbnb in Moose Jaw in the early evening. It was located several miles out in the country south of town, and I was treated to a magnificent sunset and, looking in another direction, storm clouds. It had been a beautiful day but storms were moving into the area. They basically went around us but because of the flat terrain I could see storms far away from where I was.