July 26, 2008

July 26, 2008

Bar Harbor, ME at one time was a summer haven for the very rich. Hoping to protect their playground from loggers, they donated the surrounding acreage to the government for Acadia National Park. A devastating fire in 1947 burned down all the Bar Harbor mansions; they were replaced with hotels, leaving the park now a getaway for the less wealthy public. John Rockefeller had built a large network of crushed stone roads throughout the park for his horse-drawn buggy rides. Those carriage roads are now bike paths for us to enjoy the beauty of the park.

So Aimee and I unhitch our bikes, load them on the park shuttle, and start our pedal exploration of the carriage roads from the Visitor Center. Our route takes us thru a birch tree forest full of lily pad laden ponds. The forest floor is thick with wild blueberries. We stop and pick a bag full. Wild blueberries taste the same but are tiny compared to the domestic variety. Eventually the ponds give way to long narrow lakes bounded by steep half barren granite mountains. These lakes are glacier-carved fjords that never made it to the sea. Along the way we stop for a hike to one of the granite peaks, South Bubble Mountain. By accident we choose the hard route up. It is almost straight up thru a boulder field. Aimee reminds me on the way that she does not like rock scrambling. At the top we are rewarded with a great view of the terrain. By the time we are back at the RV our legs are dying. Biking and hiking in the same day is too much for us.