just a little taster

SINP

Well we have finally got our paperwork in for permanent residency

so all we have to do now is wait for the next step

Winter Road Orientation

Well it all started back in February when we had our winter road orientation for the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road,

class room training is the same all over but this time i thought i had better take note, we worked our way through the rules and regs and even if you have been on the roads in previous years taking the course is required for everybody, we went through the speed limits on the ice and on the portages [ the bit between the lakes] flood zones

Lakes loaded 25 kph

Lakes empty 35 kph

portages 30 kph

flood zones 10 kph

express lanes when empty 60kph

coming onto a lake and exiting a lake 10kph

there was also speed limits that moved about if men were working on lakes just like the real roads

the speed limit is set for a very good reason as when your moving across the ice it bends, so the faster you go the more the ice deflects the bigger the wave under the ice [ the ice is floating on water] until it bursts out and you and or the truck behind you breaks through the ice sinking to the bottom of the lake

we also talked about the consequences of exceeding these limits and these went up in stages for the lesser crimes, three day ban, five day ban, Severn day ban, right up to being banned from the winter road for the more serious ones like taking drugs, driving under the influence of drink, and even feeding the wildlife

Ice Road Season Has Ended

I have just returned from the north, and will be posting what i got up too in a while it has been one hell of an experience driving up north on the ice, i have taken hundreds of pictures and about an hour and a half of video, once i have edited some out i will post them.

six and a half weeks away and i was pleased to get back to Saskatoon and Louise

63 tons over clear ice wow, and minus 70 in the wind

but the northern lights were the most amazing thing i think i have ever seen

wat a show

At The Top Of The World Theres An Outpost Like No Other

The mission to transport prill from Edmonton to the billion Dollar diamond mines

across 350 km of frozen lakes and tundra in the

North West Territories

I will be leaving this week and will be keeping a diary and on my return will update the blogg with pictures and stories from the trip

My First Real Winter Storm and getting ready for Febuary and the Ice Roads

I was up in Wabasca about 130km north of slave lake Alberta, not really out the way but 90km from the main road in the woods, and the conveyor operator was beginning to get worried about the Storm coming our way

we got finished in quick time and i helped him pack up and get going, i only had about two hours left so would be parking up at the Husky in Fawcett Alberta , this was the first place i could stop after Slave Lake as there arnt many turn outs on this road

The road out of Wabasca is fairly twisty ,tree lined with a real good chance of deer or moose jumping out at ya, but it was dry and there was just an odd small flake of snow in the air

As i got into slave lake the road had i thin covering of snow

[not the picture above]
But by the time i hit the main road south there was more, and the weather turned real nasty in the next few kms,to late to turn round now so i kept my foot in , the thing is these super B trucks have absolutely no grip when they are empty on the drives and with the drag from the trailers you tend to get pulled around in the wind, it make life interesting.

so i hoped that there would be not to much traffic about now as i didn't want to get stuck on any of the hills on this road and have to chain up again,

A half ton had passed me as i came out of slave but had disappeared in the snow as anybody who drives out here they are mad and think they own the road especially in Alberta, then through the falling snow i saw lights flashing on the road so i started backing off as i didn't want to stop if i could help it, it was another truck and beside him in the ditch was the half ton, apparently he had passed the truck and then slid of in the ditch, just as i got there the truck moved off and i followed until he pulled off in the one and only turn out on this road, i took the opportunity and passed him the turnout was full and he then could follow my tracks and snow storm

i continued on at a steady 60kph i seemed to be the only one traveling south as there were no tracks to follow, and the snow laying on the road just got deeper and deeper, the odd convoy came the other way which just whited me out not a nice feeling even if you know the road is straight

i passed a few trucks off in the ditch and even a snow plow before arriving at the husky in Fawcett

The snow was aboiut 15 inches deep by now and i just parked where i could as it was faily full, and in the morning the road had still not been plowed so no rush we just waited for the plow before we moved out, Westcan would rather you sat untill safe than risk having a tow truck pull you out a ditch or get yourself wrecked

New Year In Saskatoon 2011

Happy New Year From Riverside Landing

Saskatoon

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