Radioactive Beach Glass

We spent two fantastic boondocking nights on that gorgeous beach.  One night on our way north and another on our way back south.  When we arrived on the beach we were the only ones there, but several people showed up before the sun set and we all shared the small cove happily.

On the first night there was a couple on their way to Manitoba (despite the provincial border restrictions).  A guy from Oshawa who tested our manual chainsaw, a couple in a stealth van (we called him radioactive guy for reasons that I will explain later), and a mystery French (?) woman who slept in her car and didn’t talk to anyone so I have nothing to say about her really.   On the second night there were only a few people sitting on the ridge enjoying the sunset before retiring to bed, but still, a shared moment.

The sense of defined boundaries was a little more fluid since there were less distinct physical boundaries between the sites.  As a result there were bits of conversations, casual chats, and offers of help.  Oshawa guy really wanted to start a fire, but had no wood other than a giant log that he found on the beach and dragged over.  We offered our axe, and then we offered him our little magical manual chainsaw, which worked really well.

Radioactive guy (setting his tripod) was into dark-sky photography so we both gave it a shot when it got darker.

His camera was better suited for the task and therefore, yet again, I have nothing significant to share with you.

I later caught him and his girlfriend roaming the beach with a flashlight, turning pebbles over.  What were they looking for?

I was curious and he explained that he is looking for uranium beach glass.  He went on to explain that it is fluorescent in the dark.  Apparently there can be a certain percentage of uranium in glassware.  And if you shine black light on it there is a fluorescent glow. I don’t think it would work with a regular flashlight though. Oh, and it may be radioactive hence the nickname.

The next morning I looked for glass with no luck.  Well, many there are more beaches to comb and I will keep you posted on our progress.  We love finding things on the beach.

In the meantime, if you wanted to know a bit more about uranium glass or  other fluorescent glass,  you can read about it here.  But one of the best parts was the lightshow in the evening.  The rocks and water definitely glowed!

The surf was pretty loud at night, but the wind died down at one point and it was a quiet night.

In the morning we went for one last walk along the beach

and even though I lost a lens cap to the lake, it’s still one of our favourite spots.

And we were off towards Pukaskwa National Park.  One of the finest parks in Ontario.

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32 thoughts on “Radioactive Beach Glass

  1. petespringerauthor says:

    One of the more interesting things you brought up was the idea of informal boundaries. I can understand why you prefer to be off on your own a bit rather than camping in a designated campsite. I’m guessing that people who prefer this style of camping are generally respectful, Have you ever had someone partying loudly late into the night, making a racket? I guess if you politely ask them to quiet down and that doesn’t work, there isn’t a whole lot you can do.

    • backroadsandotherstories says:

      I had a feeling you would pick up on this. I found it interesting that the only delineation boundary in that place was the existence of fire pits in some areas. It called for a creation of invisible boundaries that each camper created to protect their privacy, however, since we all have different personal spaces it was a bit unpredictable. We didn’t mind it even though we like out secluded sites a lot. As to partying, campers in places like this wouldn’t normally party. It’s when you get a big group together (and usually closer to a big city) that it gets rowdier.

  2. Rebecca says:

    What a tranquil place! The photo of the sunset looks sublime, and it really is true that the shores seem to almost glow in the setting light. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  3. paolsoren says:

    What a lovely spot. When I was a boy – sixty years ago – we had one of those manual chain saws. If you tie a rope to the ends you can throw it over a high branch and cut it off without climbing a ladder or the tree. But it works best if your dad is on one end and you the other and as far apart as possible.

  4. freethemcgees says:

    I’m fascinated by the Uranium glass! I was thinking about trying to find some beach glass to make a few jewelry pieces for myself, but now I’m not so sure. I had no idea that some could be potentially radioactive! Something to look into anyway.

    PS – I’m one of those shy types also. Not unapproachable, but the least likely in a crowd to start a conversation with a stranger.

    • backroadsandotherstories says:

      Apparently the level of uranium is fairly low, but I know what you mean. YOu can get a cheap UV flashlight to est the glass and see if it glows and then use only the glass that doesn’t. Sea glass makes beautiful jewelry!

      Outwardly, I sort of overcame my shyness and I do struck conversations with strangers all the time, but I know that I am still shy 🙂

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