The Maine Event: Acadia National Park, ME 9/29/2009

It rained cats and dogs last night, but the skies cleared up and it was a pleasant 65-70 degrees for most of the day. We took the back roads to Bangor enjoying the country scenery, but were a little dismayed at the poverty. Lots of double-wides and beat up houses. Once we reached Bangor, we weren’t too impressed. Seemed to be a hard scrabble town with lots of brick buildings, but nothing really to see. We continued on a backroad highway stopping at our first lobster shack outside of Bar Harbor. We each had a lobster roll followed by a piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie. Nice. The real highlight of the trip for me so far is Acadia National Park. I’d been reading about the carriage roads, and I was really looking forward to doing some biking on them. We were not disappointed! During the 1880’s some of America’s wealthiest families began spending their summers on Mount Desert island. The families, (Rockefellers, Fords, Morgans and Pultizers) built palatial summer homes, changing the island’s character from rustic charm to high society. In pursuit of leisurely carriage rides, without having to see, smell or hear the island’s early automobiles, John D. Rockefeller Jr. began building a system of carriage roads in 1913. Separated from motor roads by gates, bridges, and other structures, these paths continue to provide visitors with recreational opportunities in a peaceful, scenic setting. It was amazing to cycle through the forest on these old roads, over beautifully crafted granite bridges and have amazing views of the sea and harbor. During our hour or so bike ride we saw only one other cyclist, two hikers and one couple in a horse carriage. The best bike ride ever!! We also spent some time driving up Cadillac Mountain and visiting Thunder Hole. At the peak of Cadillac Mountain, (the highest point on the eastern coast and the first place the sunrises on the U.S, at 1530 ft), we had a breathtaking panorama over Mount Dessert Island and the surrounding inlets and islands. A couple of huge cruise ships were sailing into the harbor along with a classic four mast windjammer. It was really stunning seeing them against the blue water. Rather than cooking at the campsite, we decided to play tourist and ventured into Bar Harbor for a couple bowls of clam chowder. It’s a cute, fun little town, but mostly catering to the tourist crowd. We are not looking forward to the thousands of people from the cruise ships descending on the island tomorrow, so we most likely will head on down the coast in search of off the beaten track fishing villages and more funky lobster shacks.