This is our last day in Bar Harbor so we decided to see the MT Desert side of the area, and take a narrated tour of a section of Acadia National Park that is often overlooked.
The morning was spent doing the loop around MT Desert (named so because the mountain peaks were bare of vegetation) weaving in and out of the small fishing villages. We stopped at the US Coast Guard Lighthouse and admired the scenic coastline.
Barbara needed another lobster fix so we tried the Log Cabin for lunch, both the lobster and haddock were great.
In the afternoon we took a 2 hour carriage ride through the Carriage Roads of Acadia.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. gifted the precursor to Acadia National Park with much of its land area. Like many rusticators, Rockefeller, whose family fortune was derived from the petroleum industry, wanted to keep the island free of automobiles; but local governments allowed the entry of automobiles on the island's roads. Rockefeller constructed approximately 45 miles of carriage roads around the eastern half of the island. These roads were closed to automobiles and included many scenic vistas, as well as beautiful stone bridges and gatehouses. Within Acadia National Park these roads are open only to hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders, horse-drawn carriages and cross country skiers.
A significant amount of engineering went into developing the terrain, drainage systems, and bridges. In some sections the road bed are several feet deep, with layers of progressively smaller rock. Instead of using wood or steel guard rails, he ordered that granite rocks be quarried and set along the edges of the road. These rocks, some of which weight upwards to two tons, were partially buried to form a a protective "rail" system along the roads.
The carriage drivers are mostly college students who are involved in equestrian management or veterinarian education, working the summer season in the park.
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