A few years ago I got to complete another wish on my life list when we did the 1300 mile Circle Tour around Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in North America.
Source-Lake Superior Circle Tour brochure
On the north shore we got off the highway and drove back on gravel roads to reach the family owned Amethyst Mine Panorama, located 60KM East of Thunder Bay Ontario, near the town of Shuniah.
The Mine is an active working quarry and is the largest deposit of amethyst found in North America. It was discovered in the early 1950s when an access road was being constructed to build a forest fire lookout tower.
There is a gift shop and a lapidary workshop refining the raw rock from the mine into gift items offered for sale. There are guided tours available and amethyst everywhere!
There were several huge boulders on display near the parking area.
The weather had become a bit threatening and we wisely chose not to do the tour or wander around too much.
But this is the chunk of amethyst that I brought home with me!
For @nat-expressions weekly challenge called #fridaysrock The challenge is to share your favorite rocks and minerals.
Shadow Contest Round 41- Scary Shadows
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Oh Wow ❤ @melinda010100!! those are some very
cool rocks! I'm drooling just looking at them! LOL
You are a rockhound if you like rocks and pick them up
and take them home! :-))
Have you seen the older movie ''The long long trailer''?
It's a hoot, she likes rocks too lol
There are two rockhound names, the one you used has no S on the
end and has not done anything, the other tag with a S on the end
is @bitfiend's other steemit for rocks @rockhounds #rockhounds
I'll go fix rockhounds! I have seen the Long Long Trailer! I bought it on VHS when my grandson was small and fascinated with the camping trailers. Every time we drove past a camper dealership, he would beg to stop at the 'camper store' . I think I loved watching the movie more than he did. She is so funny.
She still makes me laugh till tears come lol
That looks like a fun long drive, bet there is
a lot of rock places all around the lakes.
Maybe that will be where we move next! ;-)
You would love it there!
You are so right @melinda010100!!!
Yeow look at them all 💎 :-)
Looks like more rock vs sand, that
would make for a lot of fun looking!
Thank you for showing me this!
Yes...there are two rockhound names...@bitfiend started both of them. @bitfiend help me out if I am not correct...I believe if you look at the "new" posts under #rockhound you will see bitfiend's agate posts...from about 5 months ago. I think he is using the account wit the "s"...@rockhounds to comment on and like posts to support others who are specifically posting about rocks. #rockhound tag...@rockhounds account who is actually bitfiend. I hope that makes sense.
My tag has the "s" in the middle. #fridaysrock
Please let me know if any of that doesn't make sense.
Yeah it can be a little confusing because the account name @rockhound was already taken when I started this so I had to go with @rockhounds, but yes the tag itself is #rockhound. I still try to remember to check #rockhounds every now and then!
Thank you @bitfiend for the crystal clear 💎 rock tag info :-)
Thank you for sharing. I'm glad that others are using your tag to share their love of rocks. :)
Very nice! The biggest piece of amethyst I have found around my part of the lake (Superior, WI) are very, very small but I am hopeful that I can find a big piece one day!
I am envious that you have found some! That would be such a thrill.
Moving around by getting tonknow some places is part of education. I have never been to mine before, your picture just show me how it looks. Educative!
Hey there! Good to hear from you! Hope all is going well.
This mine was more of a quarry... Just a long narrow open hole in the ground. I wish the weather would have been better so that I could have taken more photos.
Trip was a dream come true I'm sure. Reading so many posts on various regions, has really wet my appetite to get back on the road. The nice thing about your particular adventure is that it is within striking distance from my location. Also having a love of these gems, this is a n adventure I would love take. Beautiful photos!
I had spent a lot of time out on Lake Superior kayaking, and on the Wisconsin and upper Michigan Shores. It was a thrill to get to drive all the way around that big lake. Lots of wilderness, trees and mosquitoes, but also amazing waterfalls and views of the lake that are just stunning. You won't be disappointed if you go.
That's magnificent and clean!!
Thanks! Isn't it pretty?
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Good post @melinda010100, i like it,visit my account..
I never support people who spam my account asking for visits/votes. Consider this a warning. Next time you will be flagged.
lovely story and rock. I was going to joke about you being a rock hound in addition to everything else you are but then I saw you used #rockhound lol We think too much alike ;)
Ha! That rockhound tag was suggested to me when I did last week's Friday's Rock Post. I don't actually consider myself a rockhound, I just love pretty rocks. No matter where I have traveled around the world I tend to always come home with rocks in my suitcase! Maybe it is our Midwestern roots that cause us to think alike! But whatever it is, I like it!
it looks like this stone is very unique-unique @melinda010100, what this stone be made for ring stones ...? I will share your post ...
Thank you! Yes, they are used for making jewelry.
surely the jewelry is very beautiful, thank you for sharing @melinda010100
the trip feels more fun, because there are things that can be enjoyed I really like your post mom @melinda010100
Thanks so much! We had a good time on the trip!
Nice photos, Melinda. And the rock you brought home... I love amethysts. These are very powerful rocks, carrying positive vibes for their owners. It's a stone which keeps away black magic. 🙂
As always, a very good and informative post. 👌
Thanks, @roxy-cat! I never turn down positive vibes! It was pretty amazing to be there and see so many amethysts all in one place!
maybe a memorable trip.
It was a wonderful trip!
a journey is everyone's dream.
Qué privilegio tuvo amiga de realizar ese viaje. Me imagino fue una experiencia unica y vaya que largo fue el recorrido saludos..muy bonitas fotos
It was indeed a privilege! Thank you.
I was not aware of the amethyst mine. I thought you order out of Argentina or something.
That is a beautiful rock you got.
I wasn't aware that amethyst came from Ontario until we were driving down the highway and saw the road signs advertising the places that sold amethyst. If I remember correctly there were a few different mines. Or rather quarries, they were open holes in the ground. This particular one was completely set up for tourists.
so beautiful
resteeming so I have the info
Thanks! They had plenty of beautiful rocks and lots of finished pieces of jewelry and clocks and lots of different gift items in their shop
howdy today melinda010100! my gosh those boulders are amazing, I've never seen anything like that. How much does a chunk of that stuff cost like you got, what's the stuff worth? Well, I guess it would be worth more when it's polished.
My chunk of Amethyst is natural, which is what I like, and I think I paid around $30 for it. I think garden sized boulders were priced in the $1000's. They are beautiful, aren't they? The gift shop had lots of pieces made into jewelry and clocks and other sorts of decorative items.
howdy again Melinda! how's your day been? Have you gotten alot done and how many of those c-squared posts did you do? I did 3. lol.
I probably did 20 or so! I feel like I have had a good week, but then I'm always surprised by where I place. I think it mostly matters what everyone else is doing! Asher said he is not going to do the EL on the Sunday he is at Steemfest, but will try to post it as soon as he can afterwards. I'm quite excited about Steemfest. Last year it was really fun to see all the posts and video of presentations that were happening there. An exciting time for Steem!
Melinda! what comes from those steemfest meetings?
Lots of meetups and great presentations about what all the different developers are working on. Many of them will make announcements about things that will be released as soon as they get home from Steem Fest. And it's fun to see all these people doing their presentations. Last year there was a live feed of some of the seminars. It is over the weekend of November 10th and 11th.
Wow you'd have to be real dedicated to watch that stuff. But if you see some of it and tell me about it that will help your CL count!
it's so amazing that my faforite lavender is warana. I have long been fond of lafender-colored stones but until now I have not been able to see it from one of the batucincin owners. From there I like the color. it's the color of lafender I really like.
Thank you! It is a beautiful color, isn't it?
All beautiful pieces @melinda010100!! Did they allow people to touch the amethyst displays and if you did, could you feel the Energy from them? Sounds like a place I would love to visit but not before sapphire mining in Montana. Neither may ever happen but it is nice to think about it! ❤
Inside the gift shop many of the finely-crafted and polished pieces were inside cases, like any jewelry store, but the natural pieces like mine were laid out on row after row of wooden tables and you can walk amongst the aisle picking up and looking at all the different specimens. There were so many that it was almost impossible to choose just one to bring home, and yes you could pick up any of them and feel which one you like best. You could also take a bucket and go into their tailings pile and sort through and pay for your findings by the pound.
It is an amazing feeling once you are able to cross something out of your wish list. What an amazing journey there and that's a beautiful purple souvenir you got there. You should cross off more from you wish list and share it with us.
I have been able to complete my wish list! Oh, there are always more things to add to it, but I'm pretty content with all the things I have seen and done in my life. And you are so right. It is an amazing feeling!
Is this the same rock that people use as aftershaves?
The tour must have been so amazing.
Aftershave? It was an amazing trip. Lots of waterfalls and plenty of nature.
Yea, something you use after you shave your beard.
A rock? It would hurt to use my sharp pokey rock after you shave! Is there an aftershave named Amethyst?
Looks like I confused it with Alum haha. Sorry! looked so similar.
Thank for sharing @melinda010100
Thanks for the resteem!
Thank you for joining in on #fridaysrock!
I love the Lake Superior region. I have been to many of the spots on this tour that are on the Michigan side...but never on the northern shore. I would absolutely love to go to tour that mine and bring home a piece of amethyst. Your piece is beautiful!
Your post is a great example of what I love about being part of the Steemit community. Without this, I would have never known about this mine. It is now on my Bucket List of places to go...and I am sharing it with my son too. Thank you for sharing this!!
The Circle Tour is pretty incredible. All the waterfalls and views of the Lake. There are several different amethyst mines. It would be fun to visit them all and compare them.
Oh my...yes...that would be loads of fun! It is something that I would really like to do some day!! I promise to post pictures when I do.
Do all your research before you leave home...finding the internet was challenging.
That is a great idea! I have that problem when I am up in the UP. Sometimes we go for quite a stretch without being "connected". I know that I used to live without a phone, but I am so used to it now that it seems strange to be without it.
In Northern WI, too. It's an internet free zone until you get to Green Bay.
I LOVE the amethyst boulders. I have never seen a picture of any quite like those.
You certainly did come home with a nice chunk. Displaying it with your purple shamrock is a nice pairing.
Your amethyst blog gave me an idea, which caused me to jump up, go to my jewelry box to see if I had something that might fit in (maybe)..... only to find an earring missing that I wasn't aware of, which caused me to look in several small bags in a lower drawer that have not been used since I moved here over year ago. ahahaahaha..... which caused me to come across another pair of totally unrelated earrings that I forgot I had and which are now happily dangling from my earlobes. LOL !! Too funny, but that probably all happened in less time than it took me to come back and write this comment. You never know what adventure one little thought will take you on.
I'm glad that my amethyst was so inspirational to you! I'm still laughing. I could see myself doing exactly the same thing. I felt a little bad that those pictures of the boulders didn't have something to show the size, they were really massive chunks of rock and, and so beautiful! I wish I had one in my front yard!
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Thanks so much!