Laconia, NH (USA)

Today, I got to do my first open water scuba dive!  Since it was Juneteenth, I didn't have to work and this meant that the location wasn't an issue.  Marley (our instructor) had sent me coordinates for a parking lot along the southern edge of Lake Waukewan (in the town of Meredith) and this required about a 75 minute drive.  I was able to leave my condo at about 0830 and, after crossing Moose Mountain, I joined US-4.  The weather was nice and there wasn't much traffic until I passed through the town of Danbury and got on NH-104.  From there, I started to see a LOT of motorcycles - I learned later that this was "Bike Week" in Laconia and the road I was on was taking all the enthusiasts to the event.  Despite the other cars, I still arrived at my destination by 0945 and met up with all of the other students.  Marley arrived shortly afterwards and we started getting geared up for our dive.  After four pool dives, the equipment seemed familiar and I knew my buddy (Lisa).  The only really different things about the day was the sun (I tried to put on enough sunscreen but failed), the fact that we needed wetsuits (water temp was 66 F) and the fact that we had to wear our gear from the parking lot, all the way down to the beach, and then into the water.  I hadn't realized how heave the tank was but was still able to move around OK.  Once all of us (more than 10) were assembled in a group, Marley raised the diving flag (floating on a little raft) and we descended into the water.  At first, there was a lot of dirt and debris and I couldn't see anyone else.  We conducted our normal drills (clearing water from the mask, lost regulator) and then started exploring.  As we moved away from the shore, we reached a clearer area that allowed us to see lots of rocks, trash and wildlife.  One of the highlights was watching Marley feeding a fish (bass?) with some mussel meat.  I got to try it too and the fish followed us around after that.  We made a small circuit near the swimming area but never got below 10 feet.  It was interesting to watch everyone in their little buddy groups and see the sunlight streaming down through the water.  After surfacing for some discussion, we tried a deeper dive.  This turned out to be difficult for a variety of reasons.  One was that the group was so big that everyone started to get spread out.  Then there was the fact that our ears didn't all clear at the same rate - mine were troublesome but I thought I was getting the knack of it.  The last challenge was that it required us to travel more than 100 yards from the beach to get any deeper.  I guess Marley didn't think it was worth all the travel because we headed back to shore without passing 15 feet.  The abrupt finish made me wonder if I had anything to do with the decisions but he assured me that the shallow lake is difficult for deeper dives.  After we got all the gear cleaned up and put away (in Marley's truck), I said goodbye to everyone (they left to eat lunch) and launched Tequila Sunrise (1245).  It was a beautiful, sunny and warm day (mid 70s) and the large lake provided a great opportunity for a few hours of paddling!  Starting clockwise, I followed the shoreline towards the west and made my way around to the northern end of the lake.  There were a lot of water skiers out towards the middle (they kicked up some good swells) but I didn't see many people along the shore until I passed an area with a lot of little, wooded islands.  On the back side of Waukewan, I found a pleasant series of small bays with little fish camps and summer homes - very pretty.  In this area, I saw a lot more folks on their docks, launching kayaks, fishing and swimming too.  It was a perfect New Hampshire day!  I reached the farthest point from the car after about an hour and continued clockwise towards the east side of the lake.  The sun started to get pretty harsh (sunburn coming) and I craved shade where ever I could find it - no such luck, though...  As I returned towards the Lake Waukewan Beach area (wrapping up nearly six miles of paddling), I noticed that a lot more people had arrived to take advantage of the cool water and started to wonder if I should join them.  One of my goals for the day, though, had been to hike a bit of the WOW (Winnipesaukeee / Opechee,/ Winnisquam) Trail in Laconia.  Instead of staying in the immediate vicinity, therefore, I loaded my kayak (1445) and headed south (on back roads and US-3) towards the northern end of the trail system.  When I arrived, I didn't see an actual trailhead parking lot - I ended up parking at the Lake Opechee Inn, located in the Lakeport area (southern end of Lake Winnipesaukee).  From there, I started south on the WOW Trail (1515).  The whole trail paralleled an active railroad track but was a true bike path - almost all paved.  I enjoyed the shady area initially but then made my way on city streets across the full length of the town.  I passed the train depot and realized I'd been here at some point long ago...  Continuing towards the southern end of town, I passed a few beach areas (including Barlett Beach) and saw lots of people enjoying their afternoon in the water and the sand.  Before long, I realized I'd covered the nearly 2.5 mile trail and had reached the eastern end of the Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail.  This turned out to be a good thing because, by then, some ominous clouds had started to gather on the far side of Lake Winnisquam.  Before turning around, though, I walked into the town of Belmont and reached the end of NH-11A and the Leslie E. Roberts Beach and Recreation Area.  I'll have to return to hike the rest of the Winni Trail in the future!  Backtracking, I made really good time - through stifling heat - and tried to beat the rain.  By 1700, I'd wrapped up my (5 mile) walk and was able to get on the road very quickly.  I first used Elm Street to reach Meredith Center Road and followed this all the way back to NH-104.  Along the way, the skies opened and it was hard to see out of my windows for a little while.  My heart really went out to the motorcyclists, who continued to pour into the area...  After stopping for some gas at the Irving in New Hampton (1720), I resumed my backtrack towards home.  As I approached Danbury, though, I encountered a police officer who was blocking the road.  The line of cars was already pretty big but it seemed clear that this route was no longer going to work for me (damage from the storm; I learned later there was talk of a tornado, microburst or Derecho storm).  Following some people who looked like locals (I noticed they kept stopping to tell other people about their plans), I made my way via some sketchy dirt roads.  At two points, we had to turn onto other roads because there were huge trees across the roadways that Google Maps was recommending.  Eventually, though, I reached US-4 (just east of Grafton) and was able to resume my normal drive.  The rain stopped during this timeframe and I was able to reach my condo by about 1830.  Very pleased to have gotten a practical dive under my belt and the other activities were equally rewarding.  Glad for the holiday!