Accessible Adventures with MDI Wheelers BY SHANNON BRYAN Ed Wood finds bike riding on Acadia’s carriage roads to be magical.
For years he regularly biked miles in the park with friends, marveling at the views while the carriage road gravel crackled under his bike tires and sunlight flickered through the tree canopy. “Riding on Acadia National Park’s carriage roads has always been a great blessing to me,” he said. “The park is a unique gem. It’s one of the great assets of the U.S.” Fifteen years ago, Wood was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Among his symptoms over the years, he found his balance progressively worsened,
Photo: Sam Mallon/Friends of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Maine, June 1, 2023.
so he switched to an electric-assist recumbent bike. Around that same time, Wood met Rick Smith, who had experienced a devastating stroke 13 years ago. Wood turned Smith on to the electric-assist recumbent, and that changed everything.
“Ed and I were out on the carriage roads laughing and even crying – it was so enjoyable,” said Smith. They were soon joined by George Woolley, who is living with a chronic neurological condition that affects his balance.
Friends Art Worster and Dave Edson rode along as safeties. Since Wood and Smith both live in the town of Tremont on Mount Desert Island, the group was aptly dubbed “Tremonsters.”
“It’s been a joy to discover adaptive biking and get back on,the carriage roads with my good friends,” said Woolley.
“These bikes gave me the chance to get back into the park,” said Smith, who adds that it’s also wonderfully therapeutic. “Riding in the park again has been great therapy for me. It makes me feel whole again.”
Eventually, though, Wood’s Parkinson’s made riding even the recumbent unfeasible, and Wood thought his rides on Acadia’s carriage roads had reached their end. But the Tremonsters – Wood’s caring and determined group of friends – are a generous lot who believe the splendor of Acadia’s carriage roads are for everyone. They wanted to make sure Wood could still get out for a ride. Bringing Adaptive Biking to the Community thus began MDI Wheelers, born from a perfect blend of solution-finding and serendipity. The group of friends formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in hopes of helping more people from the community who are unable to ride a bike get out on Acadia’s carriage roads with adaptive bikes.
MDI Wheelers is a volunteer-led organization, propelled by dedication and generous donors. Dave Edson, Janet Wood,
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Photo: Sam Mallon/Friends of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Maine, June 1, 2023.
| KNOWLESLETTER SUMMER 2026
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