Adventure, well it's Adventure!

After a rather unrefreshing night at the 381 km relay, I set off towards Radisson in a fog that varied between a fine rain and just a damp mist. But given my latitude, let's just say that humidity generally means not being warm. And indeed, a lovely 7 degrees Celsius reigned supreme. As a result, I turned on my heated grips! This lasted for about 80 km, then gradually, the humidity dissipated and the sun took its place.

After these 80 kms (approximately), it is also the moment when we leave the renovated Billy Diamond road to fall onto the original. Let's say that it is quite a bit more choppy, really quite a bit more. Again this day, I did not come across a single motorbike and I was as if I were all alone going up towards Radisson. The rest of the "traffic" was in the opposite direction. If we can call it traffic. The sun was warming me quietly, I was riding peacefully at a completely normal speed, when at kilometer 518 ... I lost my front wheel! Literally! Vibration, loss of steering control at the end of the bend and noise of a soft tire. In my head it was immediately "Slim puncture of the front wheel ... the pain. ... don't panic ... rear brake ... we try to stay straight as long as possible .. front brake to give an impulse and force the wheel to react in the desired axis, but just a little and gently ... and we stop. We're giving you a bit of a head start to get out of the curve and park on the road in a safe place so we can put the bike on its center stand and repair! " Yes, all that really happened and in less time than it took you to read it! But really, staying calm and analytical probably saved me from a trip to the mat! If I had acted by braking with both brakes for an emergency stop, I would have lost the little traction I had at the front and there ... well not cool. And finally, I don't even see a nail, cut or anything else so not even a puncture ... the tire came off! I must have lost pressure because of the many impacts and it let go. I know I hit a big hole yesterday, well several, that must have lowered my pressure. But now, how do I reinflate a tire that badly damaged? My little compressor will never be able to give me enough air!!! And that's where the miracle of the Billy Diamond road begins!!! There's little traffic, very little, and it's a remote area so everyone helps everyone. As a result, I had a car stop, as did a heavy goods vehicle. Kilometer 518 is also an intersection with a road to a native village, which helped me with the heavy goods vehicle, but the car was coming from Radisson.

So the three of us, and thanks to the air from the truck, reinflated and popped the tire in place. Then the truck driver went to get some water with a kind of Windex in it (for lack of soap) and we sprayed the entire tire while turning it, looking for any air loss... nothing. Not even at the rim or the plug to inflate! So, it's really the theory of multiple shocks due to the holes that should be retained. With excess pressure in the tire to be sure of getting to the right place or to detect a potential leak, I was able to get back on the road. In short, you're never really alone and lost! In addition, the person who stopped in his car and helped me by going to get the guy from the truck is the shrink from Chisasibi "Jacques"! So I had psychological and physical help!!! But honestly, this kind of mutual aid on the isolated roads that I take is always there! We are never lost on our own because others would not like that to happen to them, so they stop and help! And I admit that being on a motorcycle attracts support. I have a lot of people who wave at me from their cars or trucks when we're driving. And if I stop to check my tire pressure (I've done it at least 10 times since) or just to drink and stretch my back, they slow down and give me a thumbs-up to see if I'm okay! ... By the way, I do the same thing!

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The rest of the trip went smoothly, let's just say it was enough. Especially since I kept being paranoid. And I know it will be the same tomorrow. If I feel like it's vibrating or I feel sluggish in my movements, I'll stop! Finally, I got to Radisson at 12:30. I stopped at the information kiosk to find out where the Hydro Québec tours were, closed! It's at 1 p.m. and you have to be there 15 minutes before... Google helped me! :D

I know I've said it before, but take advantage of the guided tours of the hydroelectric power plants. They're worth the detour and allow us to discover our Quebec heritage. I won't rehash everything that's been said. It's all online and even on the HQ website. However, I can tell you that the Giant Steps of the spillway are huge! It's impressive. And the power plant itself, you can't see the end of it, or almost. It's imposing! All the way down, 120 meters underground. You go through a long tunnel (1 km) with a slope of 8%, I think, to get there. The slope is as steep as possible, allowing the multi-ton trucks of the time to come up with their loads! It's a notable fact: if you add together the production of the Robert-Bourassa power plant and La Grande 1, this represents 20% of all Hydro's production! This gives you an idea of ​​the size of the thing. There's also La Grande 2A, which produces electricity for export, except during major winter peaks, for example, when it participates.

The bottom line is: go visit them. Manic 2 and 5 are easier to access... so go!

Then I finally arrived at the James Bay Motel. The owner is a charming, joking gentleman. It's a truly fun welcome. And the place is so calm and peaceful. It's truly the opposite of the km381 relay.

Motel de la Baie-James

Merci tout le monde de suivre mes aventures!