Someone asked me to put up
a few things for those who might be renting or coming up to the pond
for the first time.
In Franklin proper
(wherever that is ;-) ), you can find at the Franklin
Trading
Post/CITGO station
(Hours: 0600-2000) (565-3314)
gas (for
your
car, not from the food)
well-stocked convenience store - food, beer, wine,
liquor, newspapers, etc.
DVDs
restaurant open for breakfast and lunch plus pizzas
on Friday and Saturday evenings - call ahead early (565-3314) for
pizzas hours 0600-????
Maple
Knoll
Pizza is now 182 Pizza in
Franklin (about 1/2 mile on left going north on 182 past the Vets club)
(565-8822) also makes
pizzas and grinders. Have to check if it's open for 2018 and hours. Open Tuesday - Sunday 2 - 8 PM, to 9 PM
on Fri and Sat
Cell Phones - good signals
around the pond are spotty. but seem to better this year (2017) You can get a good signal from the
blueberry field on Georges Pond Road.
WiFi - if your camp doesn't have it or your neighbors (unencrypted), here are some spots in town with free WiFi and sometimes a chance to sample some good food and coffee:
Ellsworth Public Library - 20 State St., 667-6363 also has PCs you can sign up for for 30 minutes or use their wifi and printing services (small charge/page)
Maine Grind or possibly a new name - 192 Main St., Ellsworth. 667-0011 very nice coffee shop, too
McDonald's, 259 High St, Ellsworth
Governor's Restaurant, near McDonalds, High St., Ellsworth
Laundromat near Reny's
Newspapers - Bangor Daily
comes out every day but Sunday as the Saturday edition contains the
Sunday stuff. Available everywhere. Boston Globe and New York Times can
be had in Ellsworth at Shop
& Save
and at Shaw's. Ellsworth
American is published every Thursday (usually
available late Wednesday) and contains all the local news and doings
and is available everywhere. Out
And About comes out once a month from June
through October, is
free, and has great listing of things to do and feature items - look
for it at Shaw's, Shop & Save, the Tourist Information booth across
from LL Beans and various shops; usually in the Ellsworth American the first week of each month, too.
Trash/Garbage - if you are taking your trash/garbage to the transfer station on Rt 200N, you need a sticker per bag available at the CITGO Franklin Trading Post. $2 as of 2017. Combine multiple small bags into a larger bag, save some money. Hours: Sat 9-3; Sun 9-2; Wed after July 4 to Labor Day 9-1
Post office in Franklin - counter hours are Mon-Fri 7-12:30 and 2:30-4:30; Sat 9-11. Mail goes out around 5.
Television
- read a book. The pond has cable but your camp might not. If it has an
antenna you'll get most stations although CBS is hard to get. See radio
for Red
Sox (1310AM) / Yankees baseball as not all games
carried on TV.
Radio - for those Red Sox
games! A number of stations carry the Red Sox (1370 AM out of Ellsworth
comes in fine at my camp although static at night) and I think there is even
a (ptui) Yankees station. The local public radio station, WERU, comes
in quite well. There are a few classical stations and an assortment of
oldies and current music stations. Favorite rock station now is WSNX at 97.7 and also 104.7.
Fishing licenses - you can
get it on-line.
Locally, I'm not sure but maybe Willey's and Walmart.
Churches - Franklin has a
Baptist
(565-8836); there is a Unitarian
Universalist in Ellsworth (667-4393) and
everything else is available in either Ellsworth or nearby
Library in Ellsworth - has free internet service (30 minute sign-up for deskstops or unlimited free wireless with your laptop) and pay for printing. (667-6363)
Farmer's
Markets - Hancock Oil parking lot across from The
Grand on Main Street. Saturday 9:30 - 12:30. And starting June 13 also
at Maine Community Foundation, Washington Jct. Road, Monday and
Thursday 2- 5:30. For more info call 207-565-3598 This all needs to be checked 2018
Movie theatres - check out
the Things to Do Page
Cinemas in Ellsworth closed. Real Cinema and Pizza in Bar Harbor is the
place to go, eat at your seat, good pizza and beer/wine, bottomless popcorn available. I think they
do matinees on rainy days so call.
Propane
- Viking Lumber (Rt
1 and Rt 182 intersection), Closed Sat at noon and all day Sunday.
Tideway Market (Rt 1 & 182 at Irving Station); EBS on Rt 1A, open
Sundays. Home Depot.
Pottery - in "downtown"
Franklin on Rt 182 go to "Down to Earth Pottery" for that little
thank you gift and more; very nice work on-site by Keith Herklotz
(565-2422) - also he's in Blue Hill. Franklin site is on the honor system.
Public beach on
Georges
Pond at the north end of the pond Georges Pond Road - small but good
for little kids on those really windy days when
your camp is downwind and the waves are too big. Also on Donnell Pond
in Franklin but you access it from Rt 183 off Rt 1 north of Sullivan
and walk in 1/4 mile. Take your trash out with you! Spring River Lake
has a nice little beach a short walk from the parking area.
Jogging and Biking - the Down East Sunrise Trail goes
through Franklin and can be accessed off Rt 182 (plenty of parking) or
at Cards Crossing (very limited parking on the shoulder). The Sunrise
runs from Ellsworth to Ayers Junction, a total of about 83 miles. It is
a multiuse trail so you will encounter ATVs: fewer of them during the
week than the weekend. About 5 miles past Cards Crossing you come to a
camera-worthy part of the trail. There is also a spur that takes you to
the trailhead to climb Schoodic Mountain if you know where it is -
maybe someone will put up signage someday.
You
can pretty much jog and bike around the pond. The only trouble spot I
know of is you have to go up South Shore Colony Road which is about 1
1/4 mile of hard-packed sand/gravel road leading out to the paved
Georges Pond road. Since our camp is down South Shore Colony Road I
know people do it all the time on bike and foot but watch out for the
gravel trucks! It would appear that you could
go down Cove Road over to Bunker Road to save yourself the 1 1/4 miles
but there is one section that goes through private property right
behind someone's camp - not sure how they feel about it - and the
"trail" there is a little rough.
Nearby:
The Tideway Market back at the
intersection of Rt 1 and 182 (about a 7 mile ride from Franklin)
features everything the Franklin
Trading
Post does plus a snack bar and is open later
from 5-9 and 6-8 Sundays. I've heard gas pumps are on 24/7.
Grocery stores - Hannaford's and Shaw's both on High St, Ellsworth. Hannaford's has a salad and wing bar. Super-Walmart for those so disposed.
Sporting Goods at nearby stores - covering all sports and camping, kayaking, canoeing, and climbing and bicycles/bike repair is Cadillac Mountain Sports (34 High Street, Ellsworth, (207) 667-7819). Willey's (at the Mill Mall, 248 State Street, Ellsworth, (207) 667-2511) is heavy into fishing, hunting, and archery. LL Bean has an outlet store (Ellsworth and Bar Harbor) with some good deals but it is hit or miss. Olympia Sports (225 High Street, Ellsworth, (207) 667-7532) near Hannaford's has traditional sporting goods. Bar Harbor Golf Course (51 Jordan River Rd, Trenton, (207) 667-7505), off Rt 3 a couple of miles out of Ellsworth going towards Bar Harbor should be able to supply any of your golf needs.
Golf
- Blink Bonnie GC (walking, 9 holes) in Sorrento, Grindstone Neck GC
(walking, 9 holes, tight fairways), Bucksport GC (carts or walking, 9
holes, best value, well maintained, driving range), Bar Harbor GC
(carts or walking 18 holes, lousy sand traps), Kebo GC on MDI,
Northeast Harbor GC (private during the summer season but open to public before and after), Causeway GC in Southwest
Harbor, Bangor Municipal (27 holes, well maintained, reasonable,
driving range), Traditions in Holden is a short but enjoyable and
inexpensive course, Lucerne (9 holes) is hilly and challenging. More
details and links eventually.
Tennis - courts at the Ellsworth High School north of Ellsworth on Rt 1A; indoor pay-to-play at Ellsworth Tennis Center
Pickleball - in
Ellsworth played indoors at the Moore Senior Center (1 court) or outdoors at the
YMCA (4 courts) if the weather is nice. Just show up. YMCA has paddles and balls;
not sure if the Senior Center does. All levels of play. The regulars
have a schedule so check out this link; and also Wednesday at 5:30
& Saturday at 9 at the YMCA. (I play so you can get in touch with
me for more info - bffriedmann@gmail.com) Also played in Bar Harbor
(more competitive I hear), Belfast, and Hampden. Belfast has 4 nice courts, very active, advanced play times. Hampden is a hot bed of PB!
Pizza - Finelli's for sure: thin crust, good beers, good music, best around; $8 for two large slices and a beer!
Bakery
- Friends & Neighbors has Larry's style creme
rolls but expensive. Trade Winds, also in Blue Hill, has opened in 2015
across from Friends and Family. Otherwise the grocery stores in town.
Health food and bakery - for great breads, wines, beers, coffee, herbals and all your organic needs try Jonathan Edward's Market across from The Grand downtown Ellsworth. Also Trade Winds north of Ellsworth and in Blue Hill.
Cooking supplies - Rooster Bros across the bridge in Ellsworth is a great cook's store and also has a deli. Great place.
Hardware store and
lumber yards - at Rt 1 and 182 in Hancock is Viking Lumber but closed Sunday (207) 422-3321;
EBS
Building Supplies at 261 State, Ellsworth (667-7134). And the Big Box
store in Ellsworth - Home Depot.
Knitting and
Crafts - Shirley's
on
Rt 1 in Hancock about a half mile before Rt 182 (667-7158). Also a craft store at Mill Mall on Rt 1A.
Pottery - check out Keith
Herklotz' Down To Earth Pottery in "downtown" Franklin. Get a jar of
Maine or Franklin air while you are there! June-Ocotber 565-2422
Restaurants - see the
Food page but the closest two restaurants
besides the Trading Post and Tideway are Ruth & Wimpys for seafood
especially (on Rt 1 just north of Rt 182; closed Sundays; reservations
accepted; call for hours) and Chester Pike's Galley
(breakfast and lunch) (on
Rt
1 in Sullivan just past Rt 185). In Ellsworth Martha's (breakfast &
lunch) near Reny's is very good as is Sylvia's at the Mill Mall. Manny's Greek place at the Mill Mall has great gyros (but very expensive sodas!).
Ellsworth has just about
anything you need and is about a 20 minute ride from Franklin.
Healthy eating in the area - http://www.healthyhancock.org/healthy_eating/healthy_eating.htm
Here's a SoundOff webpage
about Maine: http://www.captaind.com/soundoff.html
with
info and opionions on local stuff.
Back to Georges Pond Home Page
Anybody wanting to add anything here, just
send an email to me