Alton, NH (USA)

Since I first watched "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" as a boy, I'd been fascinated with Diving and SCUBA.  However, my career as a pilot made me shy away from getting a certification, mostly due to wanting to avoid complications with my flight status.  After my retirement from the Navy, I considered pursuing a NAUI Certification but something (hiking, travel, etc.) always came up.  This Spring, I've finally been able to put a life goal in motion and, after five previous dives (four in pools and one in a shallow lake), I got my chance to complete the certification today!  My instructor (Marley from First Stage Divers) informed me on Thursday that that he'd be leading a group down to 10 meters in Alton Bay and he suggested I join him.  Of course, I accepted!  To make sure I arrived in time (1000), I departed my condo just after 0800 - this gave me about a 20 minute cushion, which I assumed I'd need after learning that Bike Week would extend through the weekend.  On the way (via I-89), I stopped for gas at Irving in Grantham (0820) and then took NH-11 towards Franklin - from there, I used US-3 and NH-140.  This was not the route that Google Maps had recommended but I was trying to avoid crossing the bridge at Weirs Beach.  Fortunately, my instincts proved correct and I encountered very little traffic as I passed between I-93 and the town of Alton.  Arriving at the southern end of Lake Winnipesauke, I could feel the distinct beach and Lake Region vibe - the weather (clear, sunny, low 80s) made things even more perfect.  After parking behind Marley's dive truck, I met up with the group of divers; many of them were new to me but I did see a few familiar faces (Chris and Teagan).  The roar of passing Harley's made it hard to listen to instructions but, fortunately, I had geared up enough times to be self sufficient.  I was buddied up with Teagan and we soon joined the other eight divers (plus Marley) in the water, which was a brisk 65 degrees.  Unlike the dive in Lake Waukewan, I actually felt a bit cold in my wetsuit but I kept this fact to myself because I really wanted to get down to 30 feet and finish my cert.  We did one short dive and it was interesting to encounter the extremely steep drop off that was very close to shore.  I'd say the incline was about 60 degrees downslope - this made it possible to follow the bottom down to our target depth.  My ears had trouble again but I mostly kept with the group.  Visibility was a bit of a problem but we managed.  After surfacing, we got a briefing for the "big" dive and this allowed me to achieve my goal.  Actually, I didn't know we'd made it all the way down until Marley showed me his dive computer later.  Since this meant I was finished, he gave me control of the dive buoy and let me "play" at a depth I liked.  Meanwhile, he took the other students (except for two who had bailed after the first dive) farther down the slope.  Teagan and I practiced lots of drills (including taking off and putting on our BCDs and tanks under water) before we finished (1200).  By the time we exited the water, I was shivering but happy.  While putting away the gear, my swimsuit and t-shirt dried in the afternoon sun.  After saying goodbye to everyone else, I launched my kayak (1230) in the same place we'd been diving (north end of the beach).  Immediately, I knew this paddle was going to be tougher than usual - the waves from the many nearby speedboats were HUGE.  Hoping that I might avoid the worst of the swells, I paddled south towards signs that said "No Wake Zone".  Things did get better after this and I enjoyed paddling by the beach, the marina and several waterside restaurants (full of people) on the southern end of Alton Bay.  At one point, I noticed a bridge that had quite a low clearance - despite this, I noticed motor boats transiting beneath it.  I headed over there and figured out that this was the inlet for Merrymeeting River.  For the next 30 minutes, I paddled south (against the current) and enjoyed watching lots of birds, people in their yards, pretty homes and fewer motorcyclists.  Eventually, though, I encountered some trees that blocked the channel and had to turn around.  After returning to the bay, I paddled along the waterfront again and passed beyond the no wake buoys.  This marked the beginning of my day's adventure on water!  Even though it is much more sheltered than most of the rest of the larger lake, Alton Bay is still big enough for boats to really get speed (I noticed one Cigarette cruising briskly).  The swells were a challenge but I have built up enough arm strength this season to paddle my way out of the troughs without swamping.  I kept near the shore as I headed north but this also posed a challenge - getting dashed against rocks or pilings.  I made it as far as a small peninsula that was a major chokepoint on the south end of the bay and then decided to turn around near the Sandy Point Beach Resort.  Before doing that, though, I enjoyed the pretty views of the Sandwich and larger White Mountains to the north.  Backtracking towards my car, I found a few more inlets with pretty beaches and boats.  I wrapped up my paddle at 1430 (after five miles) and immediately headed north in an attempt to find another Rail Trail to walk.  Using NH-11 and NH-11A, I passed some major landmarks (Mount Major, Gunstock Mountain Resort) - all the while, I was surrounded by motorcyclists and even passed some photographers who were posting photos online (much like my experience at the Tail of the Dragon).  After reaching US-3, I bypassed Laconia and reached the town of Belmont almost exactly where I'd turned around during my walk on the WOW Trail two days prior.  My target today was to walk the roughly two miles of the Winni Trail (AKA Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail) and I was fortunate to find a parking spot in front of the Osborne's Farm & Garden Center (1500).  After quickly changing, I headed north on the trail that (like the WOW Trail did) initially paralleled an active train track.  Where the Winni Trail differed from the WOW Trail, though, was that someone VERY wealthy had apparently bought up all the real estate between Lake Winnisquam and the top of the bluff.  This meant that the "rail trail" was not straight or flat at all.  One thing that was nice, though, was that it was in the woods for almost half of the distance.  The rest of the time, I got views of boats on the lake, mountains in the distance and several pretty homes along the trail (it actually passed through private property a few times).  Turning around at the Leslie Roberts Beach, I made good time back to my car and wrapped up a roughly four mile "hike" by 1615.  The best part of this walk, though, was that my car was parked within about 20 feet of the Winni Lick Ice Cream and Doughnuts shop!  I couldn't resist getting some scoops of maple/bacon ice cream (really) before departing to the south.  For some reason, I didn't have any cell signal at this point so I just followed US-3 across Lake Winnisquam and stayed on that road until I reached I-93.  From there, I confirmed that I was basically backtracking towards home via the same route I'd used in the morning.  This meant that I was able to stop at Kettlehead Brewing (a place I'd seen in the morning) - I took advantage of their distance from any motorcycle events to try a good flight of beer.  After wrapping up my nice little break (1710), I continued west on US-3 until I was able to switch to NH-11 in Franklin (because I was fiddling with my map, I ended up taking a longer drive around Webster Lake but that was kind of nice).  From there, my drive (even on I-89) was relatively uneventful - I arrived at my condo by 1815.  As I was unpacking my car, I felt very good about all the things I was able to squeeze into such a beautiful summer day.  I'll remember today mostly for the dive certification but I will definitely miss my New Hampshire adventures when I move away...