Souvenir

When viewing photos of this LeMans, you may notice a large impact crater on the windshield. A little something I picked up in the Great White North while driving on the long stretch of dirt and gravel known as Manitoba Provincial Road 391.

I had just departed the town of Lynn Lake, heading east, when a westbound 18-wheeler kicked up a decent-sized rock and sent it flying straight at my face. Things moved in slow motion from that point; that stone just seemed to hang in the air forever. I knew it was going to hit me, yet there was nothing to do but wait for the impact. Swerving would have been suicidal. I believe I ducked right before it arrived, just in case it was sailing high enough to clear the glass. The rock hit with loud report and flew away over my head. I continued on to Thompson.

Sadly, this was a new windshield…only one year old. Happily, it didn’t do the spider web thing. Three years later, it’s still just a big bullseye…way too big to be repaired (almost 3″ across), but it doesn’t leak and there are no radiating cracks forming. If that changes, I’ll have it replaced, but for now, I kinda like it…a badge of honor after having set a new latitude record for this Pontiac. Also, a handy way to locate my car should there be another black LeMans in the parking lot.

Here’s a 100-second video taken on the previous day, rolling east near the northernmost drivable point in Manitoba, up above the 57th parallel…a cool but sunny day in the boreal forest.