A couple of my friends in Acadia
This past weekend, the weather was so nice that some friends and I decided to drive up to Acadia National Park from Boston and do some riding. I had never been before, so I was really excited. Acadia is supposed to be one of the more beautiful places on the east coast, and it did not disappoint.
It’s about a 5 hour drive from Boston to the park, so we left EARLY in the morning on Sunday to make sure that we’d get there with plenty of time to explore the trails. We had checked beforehand, and yes, riding is allowed in the park, but no, not on any of the hiking trails. There are carriage trails (45 miles! No, we did not ride them all) that are open to bikes, as well as horses. In case anyone is wondering – bikes yield to horses, who, apparently, are startled by sudden movements.
I was hoping to see horses, and not to startle them with my sudden movements. We did not see any horses though (although we did see evidence of horses…).
All loaded up and ready to go.
Anyway, so there we were, at 5am, the car all packed and ready to go. We actually fit 4 Montague bikes in the back of the car, and still had room for all of us, easily (even room to lie down in the back seat, which was important, because as I said, it was 5am).
We got there around 10:30, parked, got the bikes out and were on our way. Even though there are parks in the city, it really doesn’t compare with riding in Acadia National Park. The views. The wildlife (well, ok, the birds and squirrels – but somehow it’s different up there). The riding was also really nice. Different from riding in the city, no cars on the carriage roads, quiet, and slower, because of the gravelly surface. We had a couple mountain bikes and a couple pavement bikes, but even the skinnier tires fared pretty well, since we weren’t looking to set any speed records.
In any case, we brought lunch with us, and stopped by one of the ponds to eat, and headed back to Boston around 4. I definitely wish we could have stayed longer – perhaps a bike camping trip is in order for later this summer.
Did you do any riding this weekend? Where did you go? Do you have any summer trips planned for you and your bike?
