Another Lovely Day

Halfway around the Park Loop Road stands Jordan Pond House on the shores of Jordan Pond. Jordan Pond is a mountain lake with clear water that has visibility normally down to 44 feet. You are not allowed to go into the water because it is the water supply for the town of Seal Harbor. They say that the lake was formed by the Wisconsin Ice Sheet during the last glacial period. Question: What is the Wisconsin Ice Sheet doing in Maine? Asking for a friend. Anyways, on the west side of the lake is Penobscot Mountain and on the east is Pemetic Mountain. On the north side of the lake are The Bubbles, two mounds that are evidently not big enough to be classified as Mountains. 

A view of The Bubbles on the north side of the lake

The plan is to hike the Jordan Pond Trail which is 3.6 miles long around the lake. The east side of the lake is a lovely flat trail, shaded and right next to the lake.

One little tree not afraid to make the jump into fall

The west side of the lake involves a little bit of rock scrambling and walking the plank. Excuse me, they call it a boardwalk which I guess it is. It was great fun when you met somebody coming the other way. Can we say 'up close and personal'?

The Boardwalk

While the hike around the lake was lovely, the real draw for me was the Jordan Pond House. This has been in use as a restaurant almost continuously since 1870, almost a century and half ago. The restaurant became a regular location for high society events. All the fancy ladies would leave their 'cottages' and come to the Jordan Pond House for popovers and sipping their tea on the front lawn as they took in the view. Have I mentioned how popovers rank up there as one of my most favorite foods? Miko and I (yes, they are dog friendly here) sat on the front lawn enjoying the view as I scarfed down several popovers. 

Sipping tea on the front lawn

We also drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. This peak is 1,530 feet tall and is the tallest peak within 25 miles of the shoreline of the North American continent. There must be a taller mountain that is 26 miles from the shoreline. It is also supposed to be the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise. I just have to take their word for it because sunrises are not something in my repertoire. I'm sure that on a clear day the views are amazing but it was very hazy when we were up there. 

Cool sailboat