Slag Pile

When the baby decides it is time to stop, it is time to stop.

That is exactly how we ended up having lunch in Greenwood BC, a town that I have always called “Slag Pile” because of the gigantic pile of slag that dominates the view as you enter B.C.'s smallest city. We have blasted through Slag Pile many times on our way to other destinations, but we have never stopped. This time the baby decided it was time to stop in Slag Pile, and stop we did.

Forgetting for a moment the pile of slag, which is a relic of an old copper mine, Greenwood is actually a very quaint little town. The buildings downtown have existed since the town boomed and are reminiscent an old western; a colourful and cheery facade masking a melancholy emptiness. We had lunch at the Pacific Grill, which I was surprised to find a clean, well-decorated establishment. We were promptly seated, provided with a nice high chair for the baby, and served an excellent lunch. I had a homemade burger that was pretty damn good, and the baby really enjoyed the ceiling fans.

As we were leaving town it occurred to me that Greenwood is like a living ghost town, and at that very moment I thought I saw Lee Van Cleef shooting apples out of a tree for a local Italian Mexican boy, but I guess it was just a trick of the slag.