No chance of the engine overheating on this trip. It stretched across Gordon Lake like a six-lane highway. It has to be plowed that wide to facilitate freezing and strengthen the ice. Yet every time a heavy transport truck crossed, the ice cracked and split, creating a bowl effect around the vehicle. Crossings are scheduled to allow time for the ice to refreeze.
Speed is of equal importance.
We soon saw why. As it drew near, the weight of the vehicle pushed the ice up in a clearly visible wave. Even over the roar of its diesel engine, the sound of cracking ice was ominously audible. They are created when fissures in the ice surface fill with water, freeze and force up columns of rock-hard ice. With the density and strength of concrete, hitting one of these at 50 or 60 kilometres an hour could easily remove an axle.