June, 2018
We keep re-living spring- March in Georgia was starting to be spring-like, then April in Virginia, then May in Maine, and now again Lake Superior slows spring down and the trees are just starting to leaf out.
Nipigon, ON- they have pelicans here- how can this be? so far north? We did see a moose and an eagle today- oddly enough we have seen very little wildlife for all the kilometers of wild land we have driven in the past week.
We went amethyst digging at the biggest amethyst mine in North America- it was so cool and easy! They dig the amethyst our of this 100 ft wide, 1/4 mile long and 50 ft deep (so far- they have 100ft deeper to go). They take the best stuff, of course, and then spread the rest over a couple of acres, adding new stuff every few days.

 

You literally walk all over chunks, big and small, of amethyst! We looked for small pieces that had facets, but we could have taken chunks the size of softballs.

Quetico Provincial Park- there is SO much water in this province (Manitoba, too)- swamps, bogs, ponds, rivers, lakes…and bits of land in between- kind of like the Louisiana Bayou without the alligators- just moose and beaver. This huge park borders the US and meets up with the US Lake Superior Park. It is very popular for canoeists and anglers (haven’t seen much for kayakers). Local guides and outfitters take groups, or you can go on your own- up and down rivers, and in and out of lakes. Back in the day, “Voyageurs” canoed the Great Lakes and all these rivers and lakes to bring beaver pelts out to be shipped to Europe. The canoes held 6 paddlers, sometimes a coxswain, food and pelts. They might paddle 3 months in and then out again, or even 6 months in and not go out until the next spring. Canoeing here is a big thing, kayaking not so much.
Lake of the Woods Region- more water than land- lost of fishing camps and lodges, cabins on the lakes, fly-in to fish charters. And a couple of really small towns to get a few services.