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A.D.S. Convention In
Acadia National Park, Maine
Forward to October 8 –12, 2003. Horses are still popular, and people still ride and drive the roads of Acadia. For the past thirty years, there has been a resurgence in people involved in carriage driving and restoration, and combined driving. On this weekend, the American Driving Society held it’s annual Weekend of Driving for Pleasure at Acadia, and was blessed with ideal sunny weather and moderate fall temperatures. Participants came from as far away as California, Hawaii, and the Bahamas, with many Maine locals among those who trailered horses in. We attended , although without our horse, and were among the half dozen New Yorkers present. Although our own driving horse remained at home on this trip, thanks to the availability of horse drawn carriage tours offered through the presence of Wildwood Stables, we spent an average of 3-4 wonderful hours a day on “Mr. Rockefeller’s Roads” over a four day time span. A walk through the parked trailers presented an interesting variety of large and small rigs, antique buggys, and modern cross-country vehicles, and many breeds of ponies and horses. Trailers were seen with plates from Michigan, Virginia, Connecticut, both North and South Carolina, Maine, N.Y., Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and New Jersey. Those with non-horsey spouses and children had easy access to ocean beaches, mountain hiking, fishing, antique shops, and all manner of sight-seeing. Each day had scheduled periods of driving at will, a Trade Fair, and during the long weekend there were numerous horse-related events such as workshops, a membership meeting, and a Silent Auction and dinner at the historic Asticou Inn. A highlight for us was an excellent and informative slide presentation and talk by Ann Rockefeller Roberts, a granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller Jr., and author of the book, Mr. Rockefeller's Roads, the Untold Story of Acadia's Roads & Their Creator. Each carriage tour was unique, and covered a different section of roads. Those driving their own horses were provided with maps indicating the difficulty of various drives. On the public drives, seating is generally assigned, to be sure friends or family groups are seated together. As we were there with the ADS, we were assigned seats next to the driver each time out – the “best seat in the house”! We took each of the special tours
available—the two hour Sunset Tour to the top of Day Mt., the one hour drive
around Day Mountain, the very special 2 hour drive with a stop at Jordan
Pond for tea and popovers (wonderful!), and our favorite, the 2 hour Bridges
Tour. On our final day, we arranged for a private 3-hour tour, and were treated to a drive on property adjoining the park, which still belongs to the Rockefellers. Many ADS members had been able to drive these particular private carriage roads during the weekend, but the public tours using draft teams and vehicles accommodating 12-14 people use only the park roads. While each of our several drivers proved entertaining, informative, and interesting, this particular drive yielded a number of stories of the Rockefeller family and their interest in horses. The gentleman handling the lines had worked for them for a time, and had also driven the children and grandchildren on the roads in the recent past. Attending this special long weekend event was a great opportunity to enjoy horses, meet horse people from many different areas of the country, and experience a truly unique horse-oriented park that offers so much more for the whole family. Can’t take off for far-off Maine,
but want to join others for a unique carriage driving experience? The annual
Carriage Association of America Conference is scheduled for Cooperstown,
N.Y., June 9-13, 2004. With a number of specific educational seminars and a
trade show, as well as pleasure drives planned for members, it offers a
great opportunity here at home. Even if you have never driven and never plan
to, you may still be interested in the opportunity to see the vehicles at
the Farmer’s Museum and the Clark Carriage House (many items auctioned off
some time ago are being brought back for display), as well as a number of
elegant turnouts driving routes set in
Pathfinder Country. |
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Imagine
what it would be like to have more than 57 miles of riding and carriage
roads, open to the public. Imagine those roads weave through wooded hills on
Mt. Desert Island in Maine, with wide panoramic views of the ocean,
engineered and cut through stone hills, and over beautiful stone bridges. In
fact, 17 stone bridges in all, each one different, aesthetically pleasing,
and designed and built to enhance its specific location. This describes the
trails of Acadia National Park in Maine that John D. Rockefeller imagined,
built, and donated to the nation some 70 years ago. These lovely roads were
developed over a period of 27 years beginning in 1919, at a time when cars
were rapidly replacing horses as a mode of transportation. It was Mr.
Rockefeller’s desire that these special roads remain dedicated to the use of
horses, or those exploring the natural beauty of the area on foot or by
bicycle. 