Mining and Moose Sighting in Ontario - Day 5

 We left Thunder Bay about 9:30 Tulsa Time and drove about 440 km today -- or about 300 miles on two-lane highway -- The view was beautiful as we circled Lake Superior -- even driving right along the shore line a lot of the time. There weren't many towns -- and those that we did find were not bigger than 1000 people.  We didn't see schools or many businesses. It's all pretty dense.
   

 



As we started planning our vacation we didn't know it was part of an actual Lake Superior Circle Tour

 For a minute we thought we were back in OK -- with the orange cones and construction workers -- This guy posed just after Terry took his picture.

It's been a rainy drizzly day starting early morning.  -- One thing  in the travel brochure that caught my eye was the Amethyst Mine about 40 km from Thunder Bay -- We drove in a foggy mist to get there and the mist was so dense we could hardly see the place -- For a fee we could dig through what they brought out of the mine -- IT was too much fun! --Of course we had to bring home some smaller pieces for the garden.

  We learned that amethyst is formed in crevasses of quartz rock -- mud mixed with iron flows in and the quartz crevas closes.  Over time the beautiful six-sided stones are formed.  This particular fault line went for many miles and was discovered in the 1950's

This stone costs $1000!

 It was a sea of purple stones -- While we were there they brought up a muddy scoop  from the mine and we had fun digging them out of the wet dirt.

Out there in the foggy mist is Terry mining for stones  for the yard.

We were a little wet for wear --  but a bowl of soup at Tim Horton's (the Canadian version of Panera) was just what we needed for the chill.

 
This weather is everything T wanted for a vacation -- -- his vacation requests were simple:   cold weather, (rain was an added bonus) and to get to see a Moose. (The rest of the family has seen Moose when we go to Canada -- he's moaned and groaned about it since our last trip to Prince George in 2004! ;-) 

ALL OVER CANADA WE'VE BEEN SEEING MOOSE SIGNS BUT NO MOOSE

Closer to Wawa Ontario we saw this huge sign -- guess they mean business

THEN TRAFFIC STARTED SLOWING DOWN AND ONE CROSSED THE ROAD -- T'S DAY WAS COMPLETE!!!

Had to stop at White River Ontario which boasts being the birthplace of Winnie the Pooh.  Took this picture for Campbell.
Hmmm thought it was 100 Acre Woods -- this place would surely qualify.

 Tonight we're staying at the Wawa Motor Inn in a log cabin overlooking a lake --sort of a hunter's / fisherman's paradise right on HWY 17.  Most accomodations around the lake aren't this nice.

Gitche Goome

 
Rain has been pounding on the roof -- it's a good night to turn in early.


I did a search - I knew amethysts were mentioned in scripture somewhere..

I found them -- they're in the 12th foundation of the City is Amethyst (Rev. 21)and  in the breastplate of Aaron and his sons. Ex. 28