Diamond Willow Amethyst Mine: A Family Visit Near Thunder Bay

Let me tell you, I have hauled a lot of things across this country. Camp chairs. A disturbing number of marshmallow bags. But I have never hauled sparkly rocks before. And now I am, because apparently that is what happens when an eight year old finally gets to a place he has been dreaming about for what feels like forever.

We are talking about a real life, working amethyst mine. The crew found the perfect one , the Diamond Willow Amethyst Mine just outside Thunder Bay Ontario, and I am still carrying the extra weight in my backend to prove it. As if any of us needs that!

Diamond Willow Amethyst Mine. It Lived Up to the Hype.

Now, anyone who knows the First Mate knows this kid loves gems. Has for ages. The idea and dream of visiting an active amethyst mine started a year ago when a geologist friend in Calgary mentioned the mines, almost in passing. That was it. Done. From that day forward it was a fixed point on the horizon, the reason his enormous gemstone reference guide made the cut for this trip and has been getting more table time than the iPad.

Today was the day.

The Kid Had the Best Day.

And I mean it was everything he had built it up to be in his head, which almost never happens. Usually reality shows up and quietly disappoints a kid who has been dreaming too big for too long. Not today. He had safety glasses on and a sledgehammer that looked nearly half his own height in his hands, and the look on his face cracking into that rock pile was something I will not forget, and I have seen a lot of things from this dashboard.

He swung. He searched. He hauled his own bucket over to the washing station and scrubbed each piece himself, holding them up to the light like he was checking gold for purity. The Dutchman stood right there with him the whole time, hands in the same cold muddy water, turning rocks over and over scrubbing away the “ugly rock” to discover the beautiful gems we’d found.

The Skipper and Dutchman got to stand back and watch all that joy happen, which sounds lovely and mostly was, except for the part where the black flies of Northern Ontario treated both of them like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Famous bugs, these. Well earned reputation. There is a special kind of parental love that involves standing very still while getting eaten alive because your kid is having the best day of his summer and you refuse to be the one who cuts it short.

Worth it. Every bite.

Since We’re All Amethyst Experts Now

Fun fact, since we are all amethyst experts now: the purple beauties are not found just anywhere. Brazil and Uruguay produce the most, Zambia and Russia have serious deposits too, and then there is this patch of Northern Ontario sitting on some of the most accessible amethyst in the world. We didn’t even need TNT, even though the First Mate would have loved that! Since our mining experience, he has been telling anyone who will listen, including total strangers at the campground, and a few of them are now amethyst people too. That is the kind of contagious you want.

We have talked about almost nothing else for days. Honestly, that is fine by me. It beats backseat complaints.

Lake Superior That Evening

The day wound down the way the good ones do for my people. Sun on their shoulders at a lakeside campsite, the littlest one out kayaking on Lake Superior like he owned the place, a video call back to the whole family in BC. Marshmallows over the fire embers while we looked out at the largest fresh water lake on the planet doing its quiet evening thing in front of us. Ahhhhh…

That is a GrandRaiser kind of day. The kind where you get tired and bitten and slightly heavier in the undercarriage, and you would not trade a minute of it. A fine day to be sure.

Well dearest readers, that’s it for me today, thanks for reading.
Love, Harvey

PS: Somehow I think I may be the only one up at 5:30 to see the sunrise over Lake Superior from the comfort of my bed. Thank you Ontario Provincial Parks.

NOTES: Diamond Willow Amethyst Mine just about an hour east of Thunder Bay Ontario is open to the public 7 days a week 10:00 am til 5:00 pm. Admission is free and you only pay for what you carry out. When you are motor home like me, it turns out that’s a lot! The dirt road was a little rough, but I went slowly and my crew was only slightly jostled around. SUPER KID FRIENDLY

Can you suggest some hidden gems across this beautiful country for the family to check out?

Your suggestions go straight to Harvey’s crew and nobody else. If you want to share a personal tip or a hidden gem you’ve never told a tourist, this is the place… we’ll take good care of it. Maybe we will event have a chance to meet up along the way????