M E T A L M A N 9

M E T A L M A N 9

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November 3, 2021 - North Bay, Champlain Park

November 3, 2021 - North Bay, Champlain Park

November 3, 2021 North Bay, Champlain Park. Tess and I finally made it into North Bay to visit family. 1864 km and 3 days to get here. Total round trip: 4142 km. But so nice to see our aunt and cousins and his wife and also to meet with a fellow detectorist and metal detecting enthusiast: Pete. On Wednesday, November 3rd, we rounded up the usual suspects. Pete, Michel Shaun, Cindy, Tess, Roger and of course Mimi and Bruno and off we went to Champlain Park and the mouth of the Lavase River. Champlain had been through this very lake and area in 1615. Yes, that’s the very same Samuel de Champlain, the French navigator, cartographer, draftsman, soldier, explorer, etc., that we all read about in grade school. (See Wikipedia links below). Oh the joy and wonder of walking in the footsteps of such a giant, a founder of Canada, a true Voyager. The Lavase River is at the eastern end of North Bay and is a tributary to Lake Nipissing. It’s a shallow, slow flowing river with sandy shores and a muddy bottom. The Lavase River can be accessed right in Champlain Park. In the photos you will find a roundup of our crew. What is truly amazing is that this is November and in Canada. What a gorgeous and mild day for metal detecting the local woods and river bank with 3 detector units at work at the same time. If nothing else, metal detectorists are great at cleaning up discarded or lost metal. Today was no exception. We all found a healthy cache of bottle caps. Beer and fishing go together apparently! Who knew? As for myself, I found a fish hook and later a lead sinker. The Nickel dates from 1987 and the US Penny is 1989. I have no idea where the electrical coil and wire would have been used on but it has a decent weight to it. A large washer and a segment of extruded aluminum were also unearthed. The soil here must be very acidic and mineralized as any iron items like nails, screws and the one piece that looks like a mini coat hanger are extremely corroded and rusted out. Much more so than the 100 plus year old nails found in Red River clay in Manitoba. Even the lead on the fishing weight is pitted and the aluminum foil is deteriorated. It’s an interesting observation. All and all a fantastic day. North Bay is called the Gateway to the North and is in the heart of the early Voyager routes. Nothing ancient was found today however with enough time and with some luck, truly early Canadian relics and artifacts are just waiting to be rediscovered. Of that I am certain. Roger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_de_Champlain h t t p s : / / w w w . i n s p i r o c k . c o m / c a n a d a / n o r t h - b a y / c h a m p l a i n - p a r k - a5410398101

November 5, 2021 - North Bay, Cousin Shawn’s Back Yard

November 5, 2021 - North Bay, Cousin Shawn’s Back Yard

November 5, 2021 North Bay, Cousin Shawn’s Back Yard. My cousin Shawn and his wife Cindy live right in North Bay in an older settled area. The house was built in 1906 and the backyard is a dry creek bed which still floods most every spring. It is private property and to Shawn's knowledge, it has never been metal detected. This has all the makings and hallmarks of great finds and a lot of fun for an afternoon. It didn’t take long at all… 2 minutes, and boom: A Mattel Hot Wheels ``Drag Racer” dated 1992. Found right by the sidewalk at a depth of 3 to 4 inches. A bit later the 1969 Matchbox “Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Coupe” showed up. Two pennies dated 1982 and 1984 were found. The 80’s must have been a bad decade in North Bay for losing stuff. I sense a pattern here. And, just like at Champlain Park, the heavy corrosion. Just look at that house key looking thing and the nails. I did manage to find one square nail. I get excited with square nails as it’s an indication of old… Keep looking. The find of the day had to be the live 30 mm handgun round found in the flower bed at the very end of the lot. I left it with Shawn as a token of appreciation for the week we spent visiting. The round plastic cap thing looks to me like a toy of sorts. It has a flat round iron piece inside and the faint logo on top says “ICING”? The small aluminum bottle cap is much older. Corrosion makes it difficult to read the complete inscription but “oome’Chemicalv….rsk” and “Over 270 Higher” can be clearly made out. But again, this soil is clearly corrosive over time. Colorful pop bottle glass is always a nice find. And the long lead looking bar with the indentations has me guessing. At first I thought it might be the lead molding from a stained glass window but I’m now thinking it's zinc alloy and was part of a crank and gear mechanism. Your turn to guess… So special thanks to Shawn and Cindy for letting me tear up your backyard. There were many more detector hits to dig up but I ran out of time. Plus, one has to save some for the next time we roll into North Bay. Roger.

November 10, 2021 - Sandilands Provincial Forest

November 10, 2021 Sandilands Provincial Forest. I’d had this idea in mind for some time now of going out metal detecting deep in the wood in the middle of nowhere just to see what lays out there to be found, if anything at all. In the past, I have often gone and picked wild mushrooms in this general area and I thought it an exciting test to see what I could find with a metal detector. I donned my orange hat and an orange pull over to be safe from the many deer hunters that hunt in this forest. It is November and hunting season is open. I also brought a trusted friend; Bruno, with me. He wore his doggie jacket. Call it what you will… the calm before the storm. (It really was too), or a last kick at the can but metal detecting in mid- November in Manitoba is difficult at best of times unless you like frozen ground and snow banks. My last hunt last year was on November 14 at the Louise Bridge and it was on snow and frozen ground. So Yes, I am pushing the envelope again. This will probably be my last hunt of the year but oh what fun!!! I think the thing that amazes me the most is the sheer impossibility or improbability of finding that needle in the haystack. Yes, I found a 5c piece, a Nickel dated 1980. 3 km plus, away from the main highway, hundreds of meters off the trail and I stumble on what was otherwise permanently lost. No great monetary value but the sheer luck of it all. What are the odds? I did also manage to find the expected. Shell casings or bullets: One unfired 270 caliber rifle bullet and a 22 rifle bullet casing. I also found a small, metal, pocket size, aspirin case and a radio antenna that was possibly broken off due to low branches. The antenna is still out there as I placed it down at some point and forgot to pick it up so it’s lost again. I also unearthed a flattened tin can and lid… no doubt someone’s lunch from long ago. It made me remember how I was taught many years ago to flatten and bury my tins when out in the woods. Today’s outdoorsman lessons tell you to take your waste out with you and to dispose of it in an appropriate or designated bin. This whole “Out in the wilderness” detection was definitely fun and interesting. I’ve always enjoyed being in the woods and out in nature. Today really was the changing of the seasons. A huge low pressure system was moving in and bringing rain and snow with it. By noon both Bruno and I were wet and cold so we called it a day. Roger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandilands_Provincial_Forest

November 10, 2021 - Sandilands Provincial Forest