Nostalgic Latchkey Cup Race

People asked me to post some photos from today's races on Meredith Bay, so here they are.  If you want any of the photos, feel free to copy them, or ask me for a higher quality photo and I will send it to you.

February 11, 2018 - Fishing Derby

There was a big crowd out on Meredith Bay again this weekend, this time for the fishing derby. 

The weather was perfect on Saturday, though like last weekend Sunday left a little to be desired.  The showers didn't deter the fishermen who a) mostly have shelter, and b) are tough even if they don't, but most of the spectators were out on Saturday.  People arrive on all modes of transportation;  here's a sampling of what was to be found on the bay on Saturday afternoon.

OK, no people on this one.  Yet.

But the action wasn't limited to Meredith Bay, or even Lake Winnipesaukee, as fish caught on any New Hampshire lake can be entered in the derby.  And Lake Wicwas was well represented, as the largest pickerel on the board as of Saturday afternoon was caught at Wicwas!

The leader board with a Wicwas pickerel in the number one spot

I had been out on Wicwas Saturday morning for a ski and there were certainly a lot of anglers out in search of a prize lunker. 

I wonder which one of these folks caught the beauty on the leader board.

Earlier in the week we had a nice dump of snow which made for great conditions on the ice as well as for some awesome skiing.

At the peak the storm was depositing over one inch of snow per hour, making for some vertigo due to white-out conditions on the lake.

Did you notice the fox tracks beside my ski track in the earlier picture?  You can see that it took advantage of snow packed down by my previous ski trip;  it will undoubtedly follow my new track now.  I saw where it had sought out a squirrel, but once again it didn't appear that it caught anything.

A co-occurrence of squirrel and fox trails

On another excursion earlier in the week - on a nice sunny day - I followed some fox tracks along and saw a spot where it had clearly marked its territory.

This tuft of grass is his boundary

Even though we've had some rain this winter, we've been getting enough snow to keep things in good shape.  Let's hope conditions hold up enough to make the sled dog races next weekend as successful as the last two events.

February 4, 2018 - Pond Hockey

We're into the heart of winter now, and the next few weeks are full of action in the Lakes Region.  This weekend Meredith hosted the New England Pond Hockey Classic on Meredith Bay which is always a vibrant and well attended event.

26 rinks of simultaneous hockey

Hockey, ice and beer - what could go wrong?

  Saturday was cold and bright with the action in full swing.

The next generation of hockey players were in attendance, ensuring the event has a bright future.

The little ones have their act together

Sunday brought the playoffs which were held in less than ideal hockey conditions of light snow falling, but nothing stops these tough guys and gals.  All the action will be done in time for the Superbowl.

Also taking place on Saturday were demonstrations of scuba diving - under the ice!  They were offering guided dives in case you are interested in seeing what it's like down under where the fish swim in the winter.

Does this look like fun?  (I'm sure it's absolutely amazing down there.)

If you're also wondering how the weight of all those people, cars, and trucks can be supported by the ice, here's a clue:  this is a chunk of the ice that was cut out to open the hole for the divers.

The ropes people are holding are the safety lines for the divers who are now under the ice

Beautifully clear water in Lake Winnipsaukee

Back on Lake Wicwas things are considerably more sedate.  There are a few ice fishermen out on the lake but I haven't seen the couple of bob-houses that usually appear by this point in the winter.  It's quiet enough here for birds - in this case a crow - to walk aimlessly around on the lake.

Though I expect this crow did have an aim - I'm sure it was on the hunt for some morsel to eat.

The light snow we received this week freshened things up a bit and brought out the snow birds in force - 40 of them in one flock today.

These little guys also spend a lot of time walking around on the snow in search of food, though they leave much smaller traces than the crows.

Fresh snow also makes it evident that pileated woodpeckers search for insects even in the winter.

Nuts, seeds, and fruit left on hardy trees such as winterberry are the primary food sources for pileated woodpeckers in the winter, but they obviously will also hunt down nests of ants in trees.  My question is, how do they know where to hunt when the ants are quiet and still?  Perhaps they rely on memory from past successful meals.

The much advertised super-blue-blood moon made an appearance over Lake Wicwas, though we were too far east to observe much of the eclipse;  just a tinge of darkness was evident on the top side of our only natural satellite as it set directly in line with the earth and the sun.

The super blue blood moon sets at 7:45 am on January 31, 2018

Even the sky wanted in on the action now that it's prime time in New Hampshire, and the excitement will only grow as thousands of winter anglers descend next week on Meredith Bay for the Ice Fishing Derby, and then the following week Laconia hosts the Championship Sled Dog Derby.  Make your plans now!

(Go Pats!)