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FALL 2016 ISSUE 02 / VOL. 01
Riding east on State Route 3, we pull into a scenic lookout for a dramatic view of the cable-stayed bridge across the Penobscot Narrows. Atop the eastern tower is the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. We ride the elevator 420 feet to the top, entering via Fort Knox State Park. Established in 1844, Fort Knox was built to protect the Penobscot River Valley against naval incursions from British Canada, which had been involved in repeated border disputes with the United States since the War of 1812.
Crossing the Penobscot Narrows Bridge to Verona Island and then to Bucksport gets us closer to our weekend hub on Mount Desert Island. The big attraction here is Acadia National Park, which occupies some 47,000 acres of coastal headlands. Acadia is unusual among national parks because it wasn’ t established on public property. The move to preserve the region’ s beauty in a public park was an initiative of private citizens who lived or summered on Mount Desert Island and Schoodic Peninsula, and much of the land was donated by private citizens. The property became a national park in 1919 and took the name Acadia in 1929.
Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park winds along the coast. The tarmac is smooth, the views are spectacular and, on a weekday after Labor Day, there’ s little traffic.