![\"P7070437a\"](\"http:\/\/thosejohnstonkids.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/P7070437a-300x225.jpg\")
They were also totally stocked with beach balls. They got that beach ball thing covered<\/em>.<\/p>\nAfter a warm breakfast and a hot shower in the clinically clean KOA Kleaning Kabin, we felt quite ready to take on the day. KOAs, and RV campgrounds in general, are relatively peaceful places. The RV crowd is typically older and more established, likely owing to the cost of rolling an RV in the first place. They’re more likely to be sipping wine than beer on their mobile decks, and they tuck in early. Sometimes they have kids, but the kids would rather be watching TV inside in protected comfort than battling flying insects around a campfire. My advice: for a quiet camping weekend, spring for an RV spot and pitch a tent.<\/p>\n
![\"P7070439a\"](\"http:\/\/thosejohnstonkids.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/P7070439a-225x300.jpg\")
We sped right back to the Panorama Amethyst Mine that we had passed the day before. Panorama charged us something like $8 per person, half price for kids, just to come in and hear the tour. The tour was a brief walk around the premises with a guide explaining the history and activities of the mine. I was expecting a tunnel descending into Hades, but the mine is really just a large gully that’s been dug out over decades as they carve the amethyst out of the granite.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, if you’re inclined, you can go poke around in their tailings pile, and look for interesting rocks. You won’t find any great amethyst, I can assure you. The rocks on the tailings slope are the cast offs from the mine operations. There is a great deal of crystal, but it’s all been chipped or cracked or shattered. To the amethyst industry, it’s all worthless. On the other hand, you get a sense of accomplishment at having ‘discovered’ a stone of your own. It may not be pretty, but you feel an investment in it nonetheless. Sorta the way you feel about your significant other, I guess.<\/p>\n
I’ve been to Panorama twice and I’ve never actually seen anybody doing any mining to produce the tailings, so I’m wondering when they do it. Perhaps they have gnomes that only appear at night. Also, despite the relative worthlessness of any stones you want to keep, you still have to pay for it at $3\/lb. Again with the imperial units. The metric system has not come to northern Ontario. Or perhaps it can’t be translated into\u00a0\u00a0gnomish<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The next morning we made use of the KOA’s Kountry Kitchen (I am not making this up), a covered dining gazebo with a couple of built-in stovetops and sinks, and a toaster. That toaster was gold. It’s the little things you miss. They were also totally stocked with beach balls. They got that beach ball … Continue reading Nine Reasons to visit Northern Ontario<\/span>