Happy Trails To You

Trail's "New Bridge" with the mighty Columbia River flowing underneath

Trail's "Old Bridge"

Why I never liked walking over the Old Bridge (!!)

Ah Cominco - the heart of the town and its eyesore

My grandparents were next door neighbours

Where I would mail long letters to my peeps with the Handy Store in the background

Mmmm Colanders...

Hi mes Amis!

So here it is at last - my hometown Trail, BC. Nestled in the heart of the Kootenays, Trail is a working class town with a beautiful soul. Trail experienced a big boom between the 1930s - 1950s, thanks mostly to Cominco, the lead smelter and ore refinery that employed just about everyone. Trail had/has a very large Italian population, and like many small towns, almost everyone knows your name.

Since its boom, Trail has been retreating into a sleepy old age like a lot of its residents. There isn't a tonne of opportunity there which is why I think it has a hard time keeping young people interested in staying. However, should you find yourself on the Number 3 Crowsnest highway, looking for a place to stay, try popping into Trail. It still has much to offer.

Personally I would stay at the Terra Nova hotel. It's the best hotel in town, and boasts a surprisingly awesome bar! When I walked into it on my last trip my jaw dropped - yours will too.

For eats you have to go to The Colander. Don't bother reading the menu - everyone orders the same thing "the special". The special is a classic Italian salad and bun to start, delicious pasta, meatballs, roast chicken and jojo potatoes. All as much as you can eat - for a ridiculously low price. Wear stretchy pants and be prepared to lug a hefty take-out bag home with you. MMM! I can't emphasize how flippin' awesome their sauce is, and no, they won't tell you what's in it, it's been a secret since Colander's opened! (If you go and have any idea though - please tell me - I will pay you!)

For me, Trail holds a million childhood memories: going to the Handy Store to buy Archie comics, getting a ride to Cominco Arena's library, writing letters to my peeps under my grandma's cherry tree and walking down to Gyro Park to play on the playground.

I'm not sure if Trail would be as interesting to someone who doesn't have all the memories of it that I do. But when I look at my pictures, I still see some hope for the old place, and a desire that more people should see its quiet beauty.