Kayaking on Lake Massabesic

<Japanese version is after English: 日本語は英語の後にあります>

We went kayaking on Lake Massabesic in New Hampshire. 

Starting point

At first at the launching area, I noticed there are many signs. No swimming, no wading. More specifically, it says "No Part of Your Body can Touch the Water". Kayak users are required to use rubber boots to get on it. 

Probably because this is for drinking water source for people in Manchester, which is one of biggest cities in New Hampshire. 

I was thinking, "Wow, strict!"

Then, a person came with a dog, and he went to the launching area and push his dog into water. The dog bathed in water then came out. The doggie shake his body. Then, again the dog went into the lake. The dog's whole body was in the water. The dog was not interested in water and tried to go straight to the trail in the forest, but the owner pulled the dog to the lake. Then dog was pushed into the lake, IN FRONT OF the sign "No part of your body can touch the water". 

Funny. This is the New Hampshire's attitude, "LIVE FREE OR DIE"

GPS tracked first 2 miles

Then we started kayaking. This lake is very big, so we did half of the lake this time. First 2 miles, I paddled by myself. (our kayak is 2-person's) and recorded with an app Runkeeper. The left graph is the GPS tracked 2 miles. The bottom of west side of  peninsula is the starting point. It was hard for me to keep the kayak straight. That's why the red lines left-right wobbling, like a drunken person's walk. 

One of the reasons it was hard to keep straight was that the rear portion of the kayak was much heavier than front. Obviously Mr.N's weight is 130% of mine. Also we had 4 litters of water at the rear.

Then, the east side of the peninsula, there is a portion the red line is not connected. The reason is that my iPhone was overheated by strong sun on the kayak and stopped working. Actually I was paddling alone for the portion without red line. 

I put the phone in the insulation cool box for the portion without red line and then iPhone started working again and started recording again. So I am declaring here I paddled more than 2 miles. 

The weather was really nice. This lake is good for kayaking and fishing. I saw small fish swimming. They are cute. Some people were fishing on the lake. 

Water is calm unless motor boat pass by, and there are some loons. Once we were really close to loon. She just came out from water with fish! 

Nice relaxed Saturday. 

週末にニューハンプシャー州のマサべシック湖へカヤックへ出かけた。

ボートの乗り入れ場に着くと５−６個のサインが（１枚目の写真）。色々な禁止事項が書いてある。水泳や水遊びは禁止。カヤックに乗り入れる時はブーツを履いて乗り入れること。そして体のどの部分も水に触れてはいけない、というサインが。ここの水は近くにある大きな市の飲料水として使われるので汚染に気をつけているからこのような注意事項があるのだと思われる。

ほー、厳しいなぁ。などと思っていると、犬の散歩をしている人が通り過ぎた。犬はどんどん先にひっぱって行ったのだが、飼い主の人が犬を引っ張り水際まで連れてきて犬を湖に入るように促した。もちろん暑い日なので犬は湖に全身浸かり、出てきてプルプルっと水を払う。そしてもう一度水の中へ。

え〜。このサインの真ん前でそれする？（笑

思わず笑いそうになった。さすがはニューハンプシャー。この州のモットーは"LIVE FREE OR DIE"。自由に生きるかそれとも死ぬか。アメリカの独立の際のモットーが今でもここでは受け継がれているのだ。例えばニューハンプシャー州ではバイクに乗るときにヘルメットはつけなくてもオーケー。

犬の飼い主はまさにこのモットーで生きているっぽい。

そしてカヤックスタート。最初の３、５キロはアップを使って記録。この記録中は２人用のカヤックを私だけで漕いだ。２人用カヤックを前で一人で漕ぐとまっすぐ進むのが難しい。左側の赤い線の記録が酔った人の千鳥足のような記録になっている理由だ。

そして赤い線が繋がっていない部分：ここはiPhoneが強い日差しでオーバーヒートしてしまいアップが動かなくなっていた部分。iPhoneを凍らせてきた水のそばに置いてクールダウンさせたら再び動き出したので記録を再開。

この湖は水が穏やかで綺麗だ。魚が泳いでいるのも見れたしルーン（鳥）も５−６匹いた。景色も綺麗でカヤックや釣り、セイルボートには最高の湖だ。

リラックスできた土曜日だった。