Exploring the World With Pokemon Go: Park of the Americas
Located just north of Toll Road 408 and bordered by the Orlando Executive Airport to the west, I found a park very close to home. Intrigued that such a large area had remained unknown to me, I decided to check it out. Pokemon Go guided me here and I dived in, despite the lack of Pokestops. Park of the Americas was also a pretty grand name for a location.
Park of the Americas is divided into three different areas. This tree that sits right at the entrance to the park proper helps lead one towards one of those three. With a wide open area, the first part of this park is playgrounds for children to make use of. Past this point in the park, I did not encounter any Pokemon to catch.
From this angle, one can see the second area of the park far in the distance. As a result, I stayed away from this area as I explored as it was set aside for those with pets. I have a cat, but he was not with me. I continued to the third area of Park of the Americas which was by far the largest.
The Lake:
The final area of the park is a trail that goes around a large lake. I took many pictures of this area at multiple angles. The reason for this, besides simple ascetics was because of the wildlife that lives here. I spotted a few birds and took multiple shots of them simply living.
This picture was taken on the other side of the lake from the one above. Far in the distance, the skyline of downtown is barely visible thanks to the dreary skies. Around this part of the exploration, a slight drizzle started. I was not slowed down in the slightest though. More fun was soon to come as I managed to get some pictures of birds in their element.
I managed to get a couple pictures of the birds who were living their lives at this lake. Rather than get closer, I elected to stay at a distance when taking the photos.. I am the sort of person who prefers to leave animals to their daily lives while showing that I pose no threat to their safety. As a result, I was able to capture more realistic footage.
Of all the photos I took while exploring, this one is the more important to me. While it looks like there is little of value, one feature stands out. Those signs mark a toll both on State Road 408. I drive through this toll both multiple times a week and yet never even noticed this park. I wonder what else is being missed because of how busy I am.
Pokemon Go:
Here is Park of the Americas as it appears in Pokemon Go. Based on the lack of Pokestops and the fact that almost nothing spawns within the park proper, there would be little reason to go here normally. However, by combining two experiences into one, I found a location that I will certainly return to on a clearer day. Pokemon Go or not, this one is worth checking out.
I caught nothing of value in Pokemon Go, but that is half the fun while exploring this game. At least I captured the gym and managed to get rewarded with the maximum currency for the day in game. Exploring a new place and completing missions at the same time in Go is a win win situation for me.
Here are the two eggs that hatched as a result of this adventure. The time in the second photo shows that it obviously came out of its egg after I was gone. However, I have chosen to include it since most of the walking happened at Park of the Americas.
Who knows where my travels will take me next. Look forward to finding out in my next post!