Living full time in our motor home allows us to be Ready To Go. . .on to the next adventure!

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Friday, August 16, 2013

Evans Escapades While Biking the Carriage Roads


Well. . .today is the day that we are finally
going to take the bikes off the rack,
and explore the Carriage Roads. . .
so off we go. . .
Cruise Ship in Frenchman Bay - Bar Harbor Maine
first stop. . .one of the park road pull outs to admire
Holland America’s Cruise Ship that is just
steaming in to Frenchman Bay. . .lovely!

Oh Lordy. . .downtown Bar Harbor’s gonna be hoppin’ today. . .
Biking the Carriage Roads behind Jordan Pond House - ready to roll
see. . .they really are off the rack. . .yes!

Maine, Acadia National Park, Carriage Roads, Roosevelt Bridges, Gate Houses (14)
see. . .they are on the Carriage Road. . .really they are. . .
it was all downhill to this point. . .ahhh. . .this is fun. . .
but the private Carriage Roads are closed to bicycles. . .
so alas. . .we hike to our first bridge. . .
Cobblestone Bridge - Janice
the fabulous Cobblestone Bridge. . .the only one in the park not made of granite. . .
okay. . .that’s beautiful. . .back to the bikes. . .ha!

remember how I said it was all down hill. . .
well, what goes down, must go back up. . .
yeah. . .that’s why we called it hiking/biking. . .
‘cause we hiked our bikes back up the hill to. . .
West Branch Bridge: The 170-foot structure has a flared approach as it curves sharply over the ravine formed by Jordan Stream. It has a small 6 foot stone arch span. The stone and mortar substructure is very simply clad in quarry-faced random laid ashlar
West Branch Bridge. . .yep, that’s great too. . .okay. . .onward!
Cliffside Bridge: This 232-foot-long structure built in 1932 resembles a medieval battlement curving out over a vast ravine. The 50 foot span segmental arch has a row of slender and tall radiating voussoirs. On either side of the arch are massive bayed ab
to Cliffside Bridge. . .fabulous. . .we’re on a roll!
David - Cliffside Bridge
uh oh. . .Dave’s got the map out. . .
he’s figured out how to read the elevations now. . .
Janice - David - Cliffside Bridge
here Babe. . .let me help ya. . .ha!
oh, thank goodness. . .no more bridges going this way. . .we can turn around. . .yes!

a little splash of fall in Acadia National Park
a little fall color showing in the mountains. . .
wish I was gonna be here six weeks from now to see the blaze. . .
but, maybe I’ll get to see it in Shenandoah National Park. . .
that should be fabulous too. . .right?
a view of Jordan Pond through the trees, as viewed from West Branch Bridge, David
one last stop to enjoy the view. . .
all down hill from here
all downhill from here. . .thank you Lord!
it’s amazing how much shorter that ride was going down. . .hmmm. . .

By the time we made it back to the car, in true Jordan Pond fashion,
the parking lots were filled to overflowing. . .
some folks sat and waited the entire time we loaded the bikes
so they could have our parking spot. . .

and off we go. . .ahhh. . .this is a much better ride. . .
Stanley Brook Bridge: The triple-arched Stanley Brook Bridge was built in 1933. The main arch spans the Stanley Brook road which connects Seal Harbor Beach to Jordan Pond. The two smaller arches cross Stanley Brook on one side and the Seaside Path on the
the Stanley Brook Bridge spans Stanley Brook Road,
which seems to be closed for the season. . .
so we just parked up by Wildwood Stables and walked over to it. . .not far. . .
like 1/10 of a mile. . .man, I could’ve biked that!
Jordan Pond Road Bridge: One of the last bridges built in 1932, this bridge is not easily noticed even when traveling over it. It carries an automobile road from Seal Harbor to Jordan Pond across its deck, a carriage road running beneath it.
and our last bridge for the day. . .the Jordan Pond Road Bridge. . .
Northeast Harbor
load back in the car. . .and plan our lunch stop. . .
the perfect place. . .Northeast Harbor. . .
we just sat in the car and enjoyed the view
along with our summer sausage and smoked cheese. . .
ah. . .life is good!

‘til next time,
Janice and Dave

For more views of the bridges we enjoyed today. . .plus the gate houses and lodges we have seen


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