A Ride Around Jordan Bubble Pond Loop in Acadia
Betsy Perreten, my stable manager, and I decided to trailer two of my horses to Skylands, my home in Maine, for a six-day visit. On one of the days, we took a long ride on one of the carriage road loop trails in Acadia National Park. The carriage roads are one of the wonders of American parks. They were wonderfully constructed in the early 20th century to exacting specifications and the drainage, the surfacing, and the roadsides of these 16-foot wide roads are impeccably built. The trail we chose is known as the Jordan Bubble Pond Loop, accessed by entering at Jordan Pond Gatehouse, going up the left side (west) of Jordan Pond and looping around and down to Bubble Pond and back to the trail. It was a wonderful ride!
1 This was the beginning of the ride once we entered Acadia National Park near Wildwood Stables. We had to ride through the back streets of seal harbor village to enter the park.
2 The side walls of the carriage roads have lichen, moss, and ferns and are beautiful objects themselves.
3 Ramon and Betsy up ahead - Ramon loved the ride especially on the shady roads, like this one.
4 The woods are pretty pristine, but there are stakes and blown down trees along the way.
5 Even small rivulets have been lined with stone by the fastidious road builders.
6 Craggy rock outcroppings are evident everywhere, cut away in many instances by the road builders, in order to make road beds along the steep inclines.
7 Spruce and fir cling with shallow roots to the tops of the granite rocks.
8 Soaring trees, some of them aged and failing, shade the forest floor and the carriage roads.
9 This lovely bridge crosses the paved Park Loop Road seen under the bridge.
10 These rocks, called Rockefeller Teeth, often line the edges of the carriage roads and Park Loop Road.
11 The road rises gently, but surprisingly steeply, to the cliffs above Jordan Pond.
12 Some trees develop large bumps along the trunks. All I could think of was bowl making. These burls are natural deviations in the cells of branch buds, causing deformations along the trunks.
13 These burls would actually make some interesting bowls of varying sizes.
14 The only problem we and the horses encountered on this ride were the bicyclists, who rode in packs and were noisy, fast, and a bit careless around the horses. There are posted signs with guide rules for bikers, hikers, and horseback riders which are pretty clear about etiquette on the carriage roads.
15 The forests above Jordan Pond are pretty majestic and healthy and very beautiful to look at along the ride.
16 The roadsides in the park are kept neat and clean by hikers, bikers, and riders alike. Everyone appears to respect the natural beauty of the parks.
17 This was our first glimpse of Jordan Pond through the trees.
18 There is a giant rock slide south of Deer Brook Bridge.
19 As we approached the summit, (we had been riding for two hours at this point) the views of the bubbles, the pond, and the forests emerged as if by magic!
20 More of the rock slide - There are several such slides in the park, all pretty ancient and very difficult to climb.
21 Everyone in this picture is on a bicycle, except for Betsy, who is astride Ramon in front of me. The drop to the right is almost two hundred feet and the views are really spectacular.
22 The clouds were rolling over the tops of the mountains and there was a lone kayak in the middle of Jordan Pond.
23 More of the rock below the mountain tops - such a beautiful contrast of color!
24 The big hill in the center is South Bubble, and to the rear, left, is the North Bubble. Pemetic Mountain rises to the right. At 1234’ above sea level, Pemetic Mountain is the fourth highest peak in Acadia National Park.
25 Ramon and Betsy rambling along
26 Many of the huge granite rocks are marked with glacial scrapes.
27 The forest on this trail is comprised of old growth birch, pine, fir, and spruce. There are some maples and oaks also.
28 We came upon another burl just sitting, like a creature from outer space.
29 This is the upper rampart of the Deer Brook Bridge.
30 Each of the 16 bridges in the park are made from the local pink granite. The huge stones are hand cut and flamed.
31 The old wooden signposts clearly mark the trails and roads.
32 Every crossroad should be marked. When one is not, which is rare, it is time to get confused!
33 Rinze and I at the end of our long ride around Jordan Bubble Pond Loop. He looks fresh and perky despite the heat.
34 Here we are crossing another of the big stone bridges ones finds along the carriage roads in Acadia.
35 This part of the trail is very comfortable and soft on the horses' hooves.
36 I am constantly photographing while on foot or horseback.
37 Almost home and very relaxed
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Beautiful, Martha! One good thing about riding a horse is...you can pretty much just look and admire because the horse isn't likely to run into anything.
That is a beautiful trail, and I'm glad you got to enjoy it.
I pray you have a good week coming up.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | August 20th, 2012 at 12:17 am
What a relaxing read! Thank you, Martha, for sharing this with us.
Posted by: Karen | August 20th, 2012 at 1:06 am
Great photos of a wonderful ride. You also look fresh and perky as always.
Posted by: ann | August 20th, 2012 at 1:41 am
Those horses are so very dear!
Shame on those selfish bicyclists! They are always whining about themselves getting respect, yet most of them do not bother to follow the rules!
(please note that I do not include all bicyclists in my comment! However, there sure seem to be more of the selfish ones out and about these days.)
Thanks for the pictures.
Posted by: carina malinka | August 20th, 2012 at 1:49 am
I live very close to those roads and have bicycled them many times. I have never experienced any bad behaviour. It's not always easy or convenient to slow down going up and down some of the hills. As for the noise and carelessness, parents need to supervise and remind their children of the rules and if they were adults, they need to grow up. This is true in any setting.
Posted by: Carla | August 20th, 2012 at 6:55 am
Absolutely breathtaking, Martha. The scenery and your
horses are so majestic. As always, thanks for sharing and
enjoy the beauty of this new day!
Kathy
Posted by: kathy peterson | August 20th, 2012 at 7:38 am
I'm so pleased that you're taking the time to enjoy Maine this year. Thanks, as always, for sharing this ride with us. Your "reports" are always so informative and enjoyable. All the best.
Posted by: Burndett Andres | August 20th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Hi Martha,
The tourism bureau of Maine should love you. Your pictures do so much to promote the beautiful scenery and shops in Maine. I have been to Acadia park. Actually, your pictures of Skylands and the surrounding area made me want to go and see it in person and it was spectacular. I love that area. Thank you again for taking me back to Maine through your pictures.
Karen
Posted by: Karen Tracy | August 20th, 2012 at 8:17 am
What a treat seeing more pictures of the beautiful Acadia National Park! One day I hope to hike the carriage road loop trails. Martha, thanks for sharing your great ride with Betsy, Ramon and Rinze!
Posted by: Cindy F | August 20th, 2012 at 8:28 am
Hi Martha,
Oh my, the life of a horse owner - it doesn't get any better than that! It seems the ideal way to enjoy this particular area too. I wonder how many speedy bicyclists took time to enjoy the scenery and maybe take pictures. Even when coasting, one can slow down. I'm a bike rider from way back so I know the ups and downs can be controlled. Thanks for sharing another of your vacation days with us. You look good and very natural on a horse. Trish
Posted by: Trish | August 20th, 2012 at 8:51 am
I am so glad you are having a lovely summer and sharing your pictures. I carry my camera around with me all of the time too, because you never know when a photo moment will take place.
Posted by: homer | August 20th, 2012 at 8:55 am
My husband and I walked the trail last year. Beautiful. We love Maine and visit every year.
We live in Virginia near the DC area.
Posted by: elizabeth west | August 20th, 2012 at 9:02 am
Martha,
Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | August 20th, 2012 at 9:27 am
Hi Martha, WOW! This was an absolutely beautiful blog today where you and Betsy rode Ramon and Rinze around the beautiful Jordon Bubble Pond Loop in Acadia National Park up there in Maine! The two of you and the horses must have had a marvelous time and these photos certainly indicate how much fun you both had! Oh, would I love to be there with you to see so much of that beautiful area! It does remind me of visiting Mount Rainier and much of our Cascade Mountains, but the beauty of all of your trail with those fantastic rocks and trees plus the beautiful pond is outstanding! I love seeing the Rockefeller Teeth along the carriage roads and the Park Loop Road-fabulous! Those trees with such interesting bumps sure would be fun to carve bowls out of someday! Have you ever tried that?! Those rock slides near Jordon Pond are also fun to see and the weather looked wonderful! I love the South Bubble and north Bubble hills, too! Have you ever climbed them?! This is one fabulous place to visit! Photo# 28 is really cute! I love the pink granite bridges, also! Seeing you in photos# 33 to 37 is outstanding and it's easy to tell that you and Betsy had a marvelous, relaxing time and so did Rinze and Ramon! Thanks so much for sharing this, I love it! Can't wait to finally see you on the Today Show this morning! Sure hope you have another great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | August 20th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Thanks again, Martha. What a lovely ride you ladies had that day.
I was raised in the northwest corner of Illinois. It is golden sandstone country. There are many old farmhouses built with large blocks of the stone as well as the park buildings in many towns.
We had groves of old Oak trees to ride through. Lots of nice shade for horses & rider alike and little streams for a cool drink.
Great day to all.
Sharon
Posted by: Sharon | August 20th, 2012 at 10:11 am
I have been working on a job in Florida for pretty much the whole month of August and I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see your photos of horse ride in Acadia.
There is something about the woodlands and the trees that you can't get here in Florida. The moss, the rocks, everything you captured in your photos made me long for a hike in the woods, which I will do immediately when I get back home. Yes, Florida is nice in the winter, but there is nothing like the transformational woodlands during all seasons. Thank you for sharing these beautiful and inspiring photos.
Posted by: Antonia Rankin | August 20th, 2012 at 11:19 am
I am amazed at how you get the horses up to maine and they seem so perfectly behaved and trustworthy on the trails.
Posted by: Jayne | August 20th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Acadia; One of my favorite places!
Posted by: Linda Horner | August 20th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
trails look beautiful....Are they open to dog sleds in the winter when there is snow? My dogs would love those.....:)
Posted by: Bonnie Foster | August 20th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Your horse took my breath away. He is magnificent. What a blessed lady you are to have possession of such a beautiful horse. I grew up with horses and had a pinto pony in my growing years. Such a blessing!
Posted by: Alane | August 20th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Martha,
I loved seeing all your pictures, and I am an animal lover,(dogsMastiffs, ChickensEverykind) and HORSES..I recently had to sell my beautifull North American Spotted Draft, and five months later I am still missing her smell and love and personality. You are such an inspiration to me, and I LOVE your FARM looking homes...what anyone would give to smell horses, hay and manure...and my chickens are so personable I adore them....Thank you for sharing your life with so many people who would love to have what you have,,,,I know you worked hard for it all and I am amazed at your energy and LOVE OF LIFE...Have a wonderful summer and enjoy the Autumn coming as much as I do.
Posted by: Sophie | August 20th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
What a lovely post! I appreciate your attention to detail in your beautiful photos... I always learn something new!
Posted by: Alex | August 20th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
WOW, thank you for sharing your ride. I was at Acadia as a child, now I think I would love to trailer up and go back again!
Posted by: Shawna | August 20th, 2012 at 9:47 pm
Spectacular scenery and i love all the rock formations. Your horse is as beautiful as the scenery!
Posted by: sherey | August 20th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
I really enjoy seeing all the pictures, Thank you for sharing. I hope we can visit Maine in the next few years.
Posted by: Evelyn Bowen | August 20th, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Love your horses and noticed you mentioned you have a FRESIAN....Lord, they are a beautiful horse, as is EVERY horse...ENJOY.
Posted by: Sophie | August 21st, 2012 at 11:53 am
I wish we could rent horses to ride in the park ! My son and I hiked some of the Carriage Roads, hiked up Sargent Mtn and hiked the Giant Slide Trail, extremely difficult and quite an accomplishment for the two of us. You look lovely on your horse ! The cooler weather was such a relief from NJ.
Posted by: Bea Trainer | August 21st, 2012 at 12:25 pm
This is interesting to me. A few years ago my husband purchased for me two oil
paintings of Acadia scenery at our local bank, where paintings were hanging on the walls and were for sale. They were from an artist who belonged to the Black
River Art Club (in Lexington, MI). The pictures are a lot like the scenery in your photos. The artist is Betty Lueders who passed away on on Sept.10, 2009 at the age of 88. She was born in Niagara Falls, NY. The painting are of Mt. Desert Island and the other is from "near Thunder Hole". They are dated 9/86.
Posted by: Roberta Dorosinski | August 21st, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Does the park service require or suggest horses on the trails wear the Charleston Rag I mean diaper I mean catch all I mean it would be nice not to walk into a horse apple or two
Posted by: Kathleen | August 22nd, 2012 at 12:52 pm
I was one of the bikers you passed on the carriage trails, and noticed your beautiful horse. But my daughter and I did pull to the side so as not to spook the horses, so we hope your group noticed that some bike riders were considerate! What fun to ride the carriage trails on horseback - it is something I have always wanted to do.
Posted by: Sarah C | August 22nd, 2012 at 6:33 pm
Each and every day you "Make My Day"
Lois Young
Posted by: Lois Young | August 23rd, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Your post brought back my own rides on the Bubble Pond Loop and the many beautiful places on the Carriage Roads. I do love riding at Acadia-- thank you for your photos and observations.
To the person who mentioned not wishing to step in horse manure-- the roads are groomed daily by the park service and these roads were specifically created for HORSES. There are very few places like this available to horses. Consider the very occasional glimpse of manure your brush with nature.
My horse has been frightened by bicyclists also-- I think some of the bicyclists don't know how scary they can be. Hopefully, the more educated bicyclists will continue to lead by example.
Again, thanks for your post. Now I need to plan my next vacation to the Carriage Roads with my own sweet horse!
Posted by: gloria | December 6th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Love Seal Harbor. Been vacationing there for years. Thanks for sharing your pics. Looking forward to coming back in July and strolling the trails with my pup.
Posted by: Linda | January 17th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
What about the Jordan Pond House and their Popovers and fresh hoe made Strawberry Jam? I grew up summering in this neighborhood and know is so well. I still love it and cannot beieive how blessed I have been to be able to enjoy all of it. Almost took it for granted.
See you on the Sound.
Posted by: Cary | March 17th, 2013 at 4:14 pm