We had a good weekend, blackflies notwithstanding (one doesn’t get to use "notwithstanding" all that often, does one?).

Learned a few lessons:

a.) the best digging is spitting distance from where you parked the car (though SOME would claim that spitting is unlady-like!)
b.) landscapes change in 40 years (ask Reiner – who went on ahead while I waited patiently ...[ok, I lie])
c.) even though your GPS suggests that THIS route might be the most direct, GPS doesn’t know about terrain and windy, hilly roads that are primarily used by LOGGING trucks. (Fortunately for us, loggers were on holiday, too, but not so the half dozen outfitters hauling multiple canoes toward us - always timed as we turned blind corners or crested a hill.)

http://www.mindat.org/loc-560.html
First day, we found some radio-active something-or-other at the Bear Lake diggings – once home Reiner determined the material to be thorite. What was really neat about that stop is that we had the place to ourselves! Blackflies, I assume, kept others indoors.

http://www.mindat.org/loc-544.html
The MacDonald Mine was fun… We found a half dozen hanks of uranopyrochlore – some with zircon. But, man! What a tourist trap! I kid you not! Some folks had camped overnight, several groups of hikers came and went. At one point I heard what sounded like a locomotive. Turned out to be a dozen or more ATV's … the riders already well into the cocktail hour (at 11:00 in the morning, but I digress) Everyone was curious about what we were doing and why, and why, and why. It was fun talking with them, but the crowd was bit overwhelming. I flashed them my best smile and we made our departure while they went to check out the mines.

http://www.mindat.org/loc-6641.html
On to Quadeville – it’s off the bucket list. The owners were there – suggested that in a week or two they were having the dumps turned over for their many demanding customers. Cost to dig is $6.00 this year. Didn’t find much of anything of interest – some micro stuff, again, ID’ing underway – we had planned on taking in the scintillometers with us, but declined when we saw the crowd ahead of us. Had had enough “what are you doing?” queries at the MacDonald mine for one day.

http://www.mindat.org/loc-14081.html
Then we made a side trip to the Spain Mine, on Hwy 41 north east of Griffith ( Griffith lies at the end of the aforementioned logging road). This time we were looking for ferro-molybdenite – found a couple nice moly crystals but by this time the bugs and the late hour cut into our enthusiasm.

So, we called it a day… until Reiner spotted a recent roadcut improvement – found some chabazite and stilbite – chabazite didn’t survive the extraction. Also retrieved some pyrite – nice size, sharp, shiny, but some pitting and fractures… one for the local collectors. Try the link to streetview of Google Maps below - it should be centered on the outcrop on the east side of the highway.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=45.282979,-77.072997&spn=0,0.019097&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=45.282387,-77.072972&panoid=xzhHhVoJKjyK0yEcc_gkGg&cbp=12,70.55,,0,5

I had to giggle – on the drive back to our B&B, Reiner asked did I still want to go to the East Gibson’s Mine as planned the next morning… I was game, and said so, then saw the look in his face. No? NO!? Who are you and what have you done with Reiner???

I think I’ve finally managed to pace myself – good thing, too!

And as an aside, thought you might like a cartoon break http://www.nfb.ca/film/blackfly/

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