Winnipesaukee winter experience of 2003

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Time to plow the lake?	This thermal tenting is used to enable siding construction in low temperatures.
Lake view in Gilford looking north from Gunstock Ski Area.	Lake view in Moultonboro looking south from above Castle In The Clouds.
Getting closer to The Castle.	Snowmobile-only access to "The Stable" restaurant located at Castle In The Clouds (from last year, might be closed this year)
Ice diving on the wreck of Lady of the Lake in Gilford. Proper clothing or not, this may not be for everyone !	At least six snowmobile clubs abut the lake area. This is one of the two Belknap Snowmobile Club-owned SnowCats that the groom the Gilford-Laconia area trails. These expensive machines are funded by local memberships and state snowmobile registration fees.
You never know what you'll find on a frozen lake. This was on the north side of Sally's Gut in Meredith.	Alton Bay Municipal Airport (and very seasonal)
	Something for everyone! This is on the east side of Welch's Island.
A smowmobile trip from Gilford to Plymouth via the railroad bed. The trip revealed many hidden industries that were facilitated by the previous railroad-driven economy. These varied from remote sawmills, to a power generation plant to a commercial deer farm. None of these are discoverable without a snowmobile and that made them even more unique to discover by chance. Now which way was Gilford?
Wolfeboro Pig Roast 2003
The Wolfeboro Snowmobile Club manages one of the most impressive operations in the area. Wolfeboro seems to set the standard for excellence in trail grooming, trail signage and family social events.	The annual Wolfeboro Pig Roast was held at Transformer Hill in Tuftonboro on Feb 15th, 2003.
Just invite 300 of your closest friends (public invited at $10 each)	An outdoor family event.
Whatever this is, it comes with dual treds, a traditional steering wheel, an F16-style recliner cockpit and an in-dash GPS navigation system.	Counting the photographer, this represents three generations of a family on snowmobiles.
Open all winter but not intended to be easily accessible by car! Trivia fact: New Hampshire maintains 4050 miles of state highways vs. 6800 miles of club-groomed trails.	Time to warm up and hit the trails.
A day of riding the back woods trails has proven to be a lot of fun for this 4-year old. Wait a minute... is she asleep?	Yup.
The end of a great day! Meredith Dog Sled Races held on Lake Waukewan
	Ham radio operators volunteered their communications services to the race. Many hams were thanked as the "mushers" passed by.
Later in the day, lake whiteout conditions prevailed to the point where the horizon and shoreline could not be identified.	Due to the whiteout, post-race GPS navigation was used to locate and return some of the on-lake volunteers.
Afternoon races included a much longer round trip to Ashland via a railroad bed.	Volunteers raised temporary fencing and held-off road traffic to insure the safety of all.
A well deserved dinner of vitamin meal, raw meat and raw eggs. Yum !	2003 Rotary Ice Fishing Derby in Meredith
	Just smell the sausage and fried onions! Then down some warm hot chocolate.

They call this a fishing derby?	Looks more like a snowmobile rally!
	Modifications for ice. Works great on hardwood floors too.
These didn't get away.
	"I really need one... Dear! Really. I do."
The ubiquitous Lake Winnipesaukee bob house...	"Bob houses" are like snowflakes as no two are identical

This may have been Super Bowl Central in a previous week.
Actually, this is in Wolfeboro. Just don't tell anyone.	Yankee ingenuity (a hydraulic power drive system)
It's late in the day. Shadows are starting to get longer...
Time to call it a day	An interesting trip home through some well groomed trails. The storybook scenery makes a pleasant ending to another perfect day!

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