Foggy F’s Day, Cobblestones and Popovers

Sunday and Monday                                                                                          Most Recent Posts:
June 18 and 19, 2017                                                                                        Off Island, Pie and Carriage Bridges
Acadia National Park                                                                                         Walking to Wonderland
Mount Desert Island, Maine

 

 

SUNDAY

Take your mind back two weeks and you’ll remember that Sunday was  Father’s Day.  Everything was socked in.  Fog so thick it’s like soup.  Looks like these 2 rigs are the only ones on the planet.

 

Down at the canoe launch,  you can see there are some waves out there but forget mountains or birds or islands.

 

So close up pictures of what’s at my feet are in order.  Blue mussels taste delicious and have beautiful shells with pearl interiors.

 

David says the piece of granite looks like it has eyes.

 

Bladderwrack is the most common species of seaweed along the Narrows shore that I can see.

 

 

This is my favorite “beach combing” find today.  I was a very good girl and only took a picture of it rather than bringing it home with me.  Seems perfect for Father’s Day.

 

 

 

But what David thinks is perfect for Father’s day is getting inside the door of Martha’s even before I can get his picture.  Look closely his back is to you in the doorway.

 

Can you spot him thoroughly studying the menu?

 

Lots of Elvis and 50’s TV decor in this diner.

 

Tiny sign taped on the glass just so you’ll know they don’t do any of this new fangled stuff.

 

There’s his choice – eggs, corned beef hash, home fries and a biscuit.   Let’s not talk about heart health.

 

 

Another piece of information.  Maybe not quite so suitable for father’s day as the heart.

 

 

MONDAY

Still foggy on Monday.  No sense in climbing for views or driving the park loop road for the gorgeous views of the islands.

We learned from Nancy that the Carriage Roads make a good hike on a foggy day in Acadia.  With David’s heart problems he hasn’t been hiking much so I planned what I hoped would be a relatively easy and fun hike starting at Jordan Pond, going down the Jordan Stream Trail and then onto the carriage roads to pass more of the lovely Carriage Road Bridges.

We do stop at one view point along the drive on our way and here is the result.  The panel board shows the islands  we would see on a clear day and this picture of the board  shows what we are seeing just behind the board itself.

 

At Jordan Pond house lawn, we meet the same view comparison.  Our view is the top picture.  Below that are “the Bubbles” we should be seeing. The caption on the sign has new meaning.  Today we can almost literally drink the view from the water in the air.

 

 

 

The carriage roads come right to Jordan Pond so when we walk out to cross them to get to Jordan Stream Trail we cross right over one built in 1920.  It’s the Jordan Pond Dam Bridge, our first one of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

The bridge of course goes over Jordan Stream and we’re going to walk to our second bridge on the trail beside the stream.

 

 

Love the new light green growth on the fir trees.

 

For nearly the entire way, the path, here on the left, wanders right next to the stream.

 

Beautiful cascades and the water sounds both add to the wilderness experience.

 

 

Even when it’s not wet, this shelf mushroom looks like it’s been shellacked.

 

 

Boardwalks protect the trail at many sections.  We switch back and forth from one side of the trail to the other.

 

 

 

At this point, we’re nearly walking in the stream.

 

 

Although the Jordan Stream Path continues nearly to Northeast Harbor, the Cobblestone Bridge is our goal for today.  It’s great fun to be approaching it from below rather than above as one does on the Carriage Roads.

 

Built in 1917, the Cobblestone Bridge was the first bridge built in the Carriage Road system.

 

 

Little Hunter’s Beach is famous here in the park for being a cobblestone beach.  Stones from there were used in the streets of Manhattan and Philadelphia and I assume on this bridge which is faced on all sides with them.  I just can’t imagine how long it must have taken to do this.  A testament to that is the fact that no other Carriage Road Bridge is made of cobblestones.

The picture below was taken with a flash to highlight the cobblestones on the roof of the bridge.

 

 

Looking up at the beautiful colors on the ceiling of the Cobblestone Bridge.

 

 

We go back under the bridge to the little footbridge which allows us to climb up to the carriage road and continue on our way to our third bridge.

 

 

In addition to the bright green new growth tips, the fir tree has purple hued cones.  Looks like a decorated Christmas Tree.

 

We’re walking along the carriage road to our next bridge and exclaiming over the natural beauty on all sides when we hear …..

 

 

 

…..a familiar clip clop.   The Carriage Roads are multi-use “trails” for hiking, biking, carriages AND horses.  We chat with the horses and their riders who give us some carrots to share with the equines.

 

These two horses are very best friends and don’t like to go out without each other.

 

I thought we had wonderful places to ride our horses at the farm but these roads are surely top notch.  I’d rank riding these roads as another perfect activity for a foggy day.

 

 

Sort of looks like someone set these dominos up right by the road.

 

I spy some wet fir cones all grown up.  Not purple any longer.

 

 

Who stacked these on top of one another??

 

We’ve made it to  Cliffside Bridge.  Constructed in 1932, it’s 232 feet long and was one of the last bridges built.   It was built not to span a stream but to solve the engineering problem of this ravine on the side of  Penobscot Mountain.  I think it has the look of a Medieval Castle.

 

 

 

You can’t tell from walking across how massive the hand hewn boulder caps are.

 

These next pictures will give you some idea of that.  One from each side.

 

 

As on other of the brides, there are viewer’s platforms. From the base of the bridge, these appear to be towers.  Other than the view down, what is David looking at?

 

 

Here’s a side view of the stone chutes built in to drain water from the structure.

 

The fog is evident in this picture looking back so you can see one of the engineering problems this bridge was built to overcome.

 

 

From Cliffside we move on a half mile to the  West Branch Bridge.  It’s 115 feet long but has only a narrow opening over what I understand is a usually dry stream bed.  Still, you wouldn’t be taking a carriage over it dry or not without this bridge.

 

Looking the opposite direction as we leave.  

 

This map shows the 4 bridges we’ve seen today beginning at Jardan Pond House with the Jordan Pond Dam Bridge.   From there we went straight down the Jordan Stream path  to the Cobblestone Bridge.  Then using the Carriage Roads at number 24 we went down off the map and back up to the Cliffside Bridge.  From there we continued on  to the West Branch Bridge and beyond to number 14 before arriving back at Jordan Pond House     It’s a wonderful loop hike and we’re happy to end up at Jordan Pond House.  All trails should end up here.

 

 

 

 

The crowds have arrived at Jordan Pond House and  it is still foggy.  It’s pretty cool and actually a bit misty with no view for those adirondack chairs from this morning’s picture but people are still sitting outside to eat.

 

 

Usually if you just try to walk in to Jordan Pond house you can forget it.  Reservations are required.  Since this is our first time here this trip, before leaving, we ask anyway. We’re in luck.  I guess because it is before “the season”, we are ushered right in and have a table by the window which has a foggy view.  See David just to the left of the center pole?  His head is tilted down.  He’s looking at the menu.

 

 

We’re here for the famous popovers, butter and strawberry jam that you see on the table. Look at the size of that popover.   Since it’s lunch time we add their seafood chowder which is fantastic.  

 

 

Great conclusion to a wonderful foggy day hike.