So, I didn't quite tell you the truth, we didn't go straight to Thunder Bay after Aguasabon... But since Thunder Bay is known for its amethyst mines, I thought it fitting to put that in this post right here. Because yes, we went mining for amethysts! 💎 We just followed some signs on the road and ended up at Diamond Willow Amethyst Mine, a family-owned open pit mine where admission is free, and you can fill up a bucket with gems you find. You're given a bucket, a trowel, and access to washing stations, and then you get to the crouching, squinting, digging, evaluating, and washing. We ended up paying only 15$ for half a bucket of nice findings! It was quite a nice little stop, and with that, we got to experience a totally new activity.
Then it was off again, and we arrived in Thunder Bay around dinner time. Our first stop at the visitor centre allowed us to see the Terry Fox Monument, with the Sleeping Giant mountain behind it. We also saw the marker on the highway where Terry had to stop his run across the country due to cancer, after running more than 5,000 km. His determination was, and still is, really inspiring.
We stopped our exploration there, since we found the nicest little Airbnb with a hot tub and incredible amenities! We used the place to cool down and take a break from the hectic pace of the last few days. It worked extremely well, and the next day brought us to Mission Island Marsh, where we took the picture of the Sleeping Giant above, but where the trails/boardwalk were quite disappointing (so short). We then paid the Thunder Bay Museum a visit which, although small, had a good variety of artifacts, objects and art to look at.
Then if was off to Mount McKay, an impressive mountain with a lookout on the city below. Unfortunately, the trail conditions were horrible since it had recently rained, and we could not explore much. Same thing when we tried to visit the Mills Block Forest: the trail was flooded and I really didn't feel like getting my feet wet...
And once again, another city checked off the list! We left for another nearly 8-hour drive, this time to Winnipeg. With no real planned stops along the way, we hit the road with the intention of stopping around sunset. After crossing a well-indicated time zone, we ended up finding a nice, hidden access to a lake close to the highway, so we set up camp there for the night.
The next day would see us cross into Manitoba, and then on to Winnipeg! Stay tuned, folks! 💜
TL;DR: Thunder Bay was not really extraordinary, and we couldn't enjoy the trails due to the previous evening's weather conditions. We still had a lot of fun mining at Diamond Willow Amethyst Mine, we saw the Terry Fox Monument and the Sleeping Giant mountain, and we learned a few things at the Thunder Bay Museum, too. We officially changed time zone and slept near a beautiful little lake by the highway.
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