Canada

Stonewall

I left with regret the edge of the Jessica Lake to head northwards and to reach Thompson at the end of the week. I had planned some visits on the way. I diverted to see Quarry Park in Stonewall where underground limestone quarries were exploited from 1880 to 1968 in particular to produce stones of construction, lime to make mortar and powder used in agriculture, for sugar refining, toothpaste etc. As usually the Visitor Center was very didactic. Vestiges of lime kilns profiled at the top of a hill. I questioned the hostess to know the possibilities of WiFi Internet connection. Of course the library although closed on Monday had a connection usable outside with an amplifying antenna. I consulted my mailbox and published the pages of my website. I thought of bivouacking at the edge of East Shoal Lake. I have some difficulties to reach it, the gravel track was closed. Finally I was able there to note that the edges were marshy. I stuck my truck which I leave from this annoying posture while passing in 4x4, blocked axles and engaged reductor. I spent the night on the trackside on a solid ground. A local peasant saw the traces left by my truck in mud and he went to me by looking at the muddy state of the tires, he sympathized…

Stonewall Quarry Park Interpretive Centre

Chimical process	Pot Kilns

Narcisse

Tuesday, August 28 was a long driving day on Hwy #17 & #6. Only one visit at 5 km north of Narcisse on Hwy #17 to walk the Snake Trail of Snake Dens Park. The path was commented by interpretive signs with pictures. Alas too early or too late I did not observe any snake in their den… Then I crossed the 53rd parallel. I point out that the provinces from west to east British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have their septentrional limits along the 60th parallel north and meridional with The USA along the 49th parallel north. I found a nice bivouac at the edge of Little Limestone Lake with turquoise water where I stayed two days.

Entry of the park

Narcisse Trail

Snake den	Park pictures

Little Limestone Lake

Hwy #6	Turqoise Little Limestone Lake

Painting Rocks

The early morning of the second day was devoted to the usual checks and the small maintenance of my truck. The remainder of the day I specified the road plan in Canada because in spite of a six month visa I owed entered The USA before October 28th expiry date of the ESTA and then exit before January 19th, 2013 expiry date of the insurance of my truck. The weather of the day was overcast with an heavy shower at the end of the day, any visitor, calm and serenity.

On Thursday, August 30 while getting up I found that my truck leant on the left, I leave to note that the left front wheel was flat! I had checked the pressure of the tires the day before, nothing abnormal. What it happened, only one possibility came me to mind a leak at the valve after control. I took my breakfast then I undertook to reinflate the wheel. The operation showed a failure, the tire was too inside the rim to take the pressure. It returned to me in memory that a repairer in Ulan-Bator, Mongolia, had put diesel between the rim and the tire then it had ignited it, the tire in a noise of slapping had been set up. I did not dare to try the experiment. Consequently I had no other choice to install a XZL spare wheel, but it is not recommended to mix tires of different structure on the same axle. I had 310 km to go to a repairer at Thompson, I had decided to install only one XZL tire. It was the third time that I had to change a wheel. The first time it was in Tibet, Roland P. carried out the operation. The second time it was in Indonesia, a driver of a van passing on the road observed me, he came to me and took the tools from my hands to carry out the operation. But this time I was alone at the edge of the Little Limestone Lake, I could count only on me. I started by leaving the lifting cushions Pronal to lift the left front of my truck and to try once again to reinflate the tire, without success. I dismounted the wheel, unfortunately while rolling it on the rocky ground it escaped from my hands and fell on the ground. I was unable to pick up a 150 kg wheel. Using the holds I succeed in picking it up and to carry out it in the back where I for the last time tried to reinflate it because while falling the tire was to bring closer to the rim, still without success. I thus leave a XZL spare wheel from the garage with the hoist and I carefully approached it to the front. Using the tools sold by UNICAT I assembled the wheel without difficulty astonishing myself. The whole of the operations with re-sequencing of the garage lasted the morning. Of course I proceeded step by step with a rest of a few minutes after each one. I lunched copiously to give me of the efforts and I decided to remain on the spot for a third night. The day was sunny but with a strong wind, the lake was emerald. Recently in an email exchange with Claude & Alain I. I noted that a trip round the world is not a long quiet river. My road plan established the day before was to be re-examined… Still and always the devil or, there still in an email exchange with Marie-Jeanne H. whose digital postcard was devoted to the excellence, I told her that with events since my return to The USA I had undoubtedly not reached it…

Lifting cushion

Emerald Little Limestone Lake

Thompson

Instead of going to Norway House I went directly to Thompson to make the XL tire repaired. After a fast tour in the city I went to Northland Tire where I explained the problem of the XL tire. After a long diagnosis it proved that it was well a leak at the valve. The valve core set up the 17/08 by Beasley during the change of this tire presenting some cracks was an ordinary one and not a specific valve core for the tires having 'Equal Product' for a dynamic balancing of the tires. At the time of the installation of the four XL tires with the `C' packages of “Equal Product” I had checked that the valve core were quite in conformity. Alas trustful during the change of the front left tire I had not done it. Moral of the story, one never should trust, it is always necessary to check. As of noon at the opening of the counter of the train station I booked a sleeper for Monday the 3rd /09 in the night train to Churchill at the Hudson Bay seashore. There I will remain four days and I will take again the night train on Saturday the 9th /09. During my stay at Churchill, my truck will be stored at McCreedy Campground which ensures a shuttle for the train station. On the way to Thompson I stopped at Pisew Falls as well as at the entrance of the city at the 'King Miner's' emblematic statue.

Pisew Falls	King Miner

The Thompson Spirit Way, second sight of the city, unrolls its two kilometers passing at the bottom of a gigantic 10-stored mural and identical sculptures but with different decorations dedicated to the wolf in all its states.

Tire story

Internet chronicles by travellers or candidates to a journey with a truck repeated my pneumatic tribulations. For some weeks I received emails of encouragement, information and advice and, even a forum exchanged on the subject Michelin tire 14.00R20XZL versus the rims R22.5. I did not think of being marked at the breeches. Admittedly my experiment shows or proves that for a world trip mainly on tarred or gravel road the R22.5 with tires of common size make it possible to be freed from the obsession to find Michelin 14.00R20XZL specialized for sand and hard tracks. In Alaska the met vehicles of American army were equipped with Michelin 395R20XML and 16.00R20XZL.