It was a day of suspense...well, suspension bridges, actually! After leaving Marathon just before eight this morning, we got back on Highway 17 - with Kenora being the end of the road for us. And on the way, we had some adventures, made some discoveries, and paused to reflect upon the effort and impact of one of Canada's greatest heroes.
First up were the two suspension bridges just off of the 17 near Dorion, which is relatively close to Thunder Bay. Eagle Canyon Adventures has a 300 foot bridge and the other is Canada's longest suspension bridge, at 600 feet in length! The experience was breathtaking - the views were astounding - but I have to say I was pretty darn nervous. I held onto the railing for the most part, only letting go to take rather shaky photos. Dave, on the other hand, was as cool as a cucumber as the picture above reveals. Despite my worries, I was so glad that I did both bridge walks. What amazing feats of engineering!
Next, maybe ten minutes further down Highway 17, we turned off to check out Blue Point Amethyst Mine. Roberto took a bit of a beating to get to this very rustic attraction, and the red dirt road made me think so much of Prince Edward Island. Upon our arrival, we were given a pail and some directions and off we went to mine amethyst! Well, not really "mine" - more like forage for the purple quartz that are the remnants from the open pit mining that is fenced off from tourists. Dave and I rummaged about and found a few pieces, but we definitely did not find the Hope Diamond equivalent of an amethyst! When I was younger I would have loved to have had a February birthday. It is Dave's birthstone, as he celebrates on February 24th, but for whatever reason, he isn't overly excited about his good fortune!
Just before we got to Thunder Bay, we stopped at the Terry Fox Memorial and Lookout. It was chilly and windy when we went up to the monument - enough so that I grumbled a bit to myself about the weather. I then looked up to the bronze statue of Terry and started thinking about his Marathon of Hope. Running 26 miles, with an artificial leg, day in and day out, from April to September 1980, for a total of 3339 miles, in all kinds of weather conditions. Suddenly I wasn't cold anymore. One person can definitely change the world.
We made it to Kenora just before nightfall and were graciously welcomed by my cousin, Sarah, and her husband, Derek, at their beautiful home. We shared some good laughs and stories as we always do, ate a delicious supper that included veggies from their garden, and then finished the meal with a scrumptious piece of carrot cake. Spoiled!
