This was my second day visiting Acadia National Park, and to start this one, I had reserved a spot on a Ranger-led bike tour of the carriage roads and interior portion of Acadia. So I sadly checked out of the Isleview, picked up a blueberry muffin nearby, and headed in to meet the group. It was a sunny and pleasant day, with the promise of hot weather later. I had a tentative plan to meet Peggy for lunch at Jordan Pond House because they offer a full tea, but we were juggling her commitments, my ride, and inconsistent phone service in the park.
The ranger started up a bridle path in the cool of the morning with a group of almost 20 of us. The mosquitoes were quite aggressive as we made our stops near scenic views and important landmarks, but the Ranger stepped up with bug spray. Once up the bridle path, we rode on the carriage roads that were built by John D. Rockefeller in the era between World War I and the Great Depression. Designed to enable gentlemen and ladies to view the best of Acadia from their carriages, these roads eventually fell in to disrepair until a group of citizens formed the Friends of Acadia organization, and raised money to restore them. Now they are fit for travel by bike and horse. In fact, one of the bridges was undergoing historic reconstruction during our visit.
We rode with the ranger for a few hours, from the Hulls Cove Visitors Station to the northern end of Eagle Lake. At that point, the guide offered to ride back with those who wanted to return to the starting point and turn in their bikes, and gave the rest of us instructions on how to return our bikes in the event we wanted to use them for the rest of the day.
So I headed off on my own at that stage, eager to explore more of the carriage roads and to enjoy tea and Jordan Pond House, hopefully with a friend. It was a beautiful ride. The bikes had thick tires and seats, and the path was shaded, offering both an enjoyable flat ride, and many opportunities to stop to take in the scenery. My best estimate is that I rode about eight miles from the starting point at Hulls Cove down to Jordan Pond House, at which point, I left my bike in a small clearing and headed in for a bit of cell phone service. Peggy could not join me, so I was seated very quickly at a small table and discovered the specialty there is pop-overs, not tea. I ordered a very delicious buffalo burger and sundae that featured blueberry pop-over and looked out over the lawn at the growing crowd of diners. It had been a gorgeous morning. Late in the meal, I discovered I had stained my LL Bean cycling jersey with a bit of blueberry and thought, it’s the perfect Maine souvenir, stained in a national park. Alas, the gift shop did not offer Acadia jerseys, which is a shame given the importance of cycling at this particular park.
I decided to use LL Bean’s shuttle service to return the bike to Bar Harbor from there, rather than attempt to navigate the town by bike. I had rested fitfully the night before, so once aboard the shuttle, I fell sound asleep and when I awoke, I was back at the Village Green in Bar Harbor. I rode my bike back to the shop, and wandered the town a bit by foot. After the day before, it felt completely familiar. I considered whether there was more to see and do at Acadia as I headed back to the shuttle, and decided that I was ready to press further Down East; I had enjoyed most of Acadia’s delights.
So I retrieved my car and headed off Mt. Desert Island toward Route 1 and east toward Lubec, my destination for the night. I had decided I wanted to see West Quoddy Head Light, which is the eastern most point on the contiguous United States. It is a delightful, candy cane-striped harbor light, and I hoped to see the sunrise from it to greet the American day the next morning. So I had a leisurely drive east for the rest of the afternoon, stopping briefly at Winter Harbor, then at Bartlett Estate Winery, and Cherryfield, before heading to Lubec for the night. I arrived in daylight, a bit tired and very dusty from the long day of cycling and driving, and discovered that there were difficulties with my reservation at the Eastland Motel, so they did not have a room for me. It was good I arrived while the place was staffed, because they graciously accommodated me in an adjoining apartment for the night.
I washed and took a quick, evening trip out to West Quoddy Head to get the lay of the land and a view of sunset in the event that I did not make it up before dawn the next day. When I returned to my room, I fell deeply asleep. It had been another active and beautiful day in wonderful Maine.
