Exploring the World With Pokemon Go: Illinois State Beach Park
Using my time in Illinois wisely, I visited Illinois State Beach Park. I lived near here many years ago, but never got the chance to take a look. I fixed that now and even added a Pokemon Go lens to it.
My journey around Illinois State Beach Park started at the hiking trail. Before I arrived, there had been constant rain in northeastern Illinois. The massive puddles I came across are testament to that. Constant flooding visible from many areas of the park slowed my progress and limited where I could go.
Still, despite the temperature being a bit lower than normal, I continued on. Refusing to let the weather conditions dictate where I would explore. After waiting so many years to see this place with my eyes, a little cold and rain was not going to stop me.
The next leg of my journey does not look too much unlike the first part. The trail at Illinois State Beach Park zigzags past the many trees and helped me to avoid the many flooded regions in the grass. However, towards the end of this leg of the trip, I finally encountered something new. I ascended the small dirt crests and got a good look at the “beach”
But what could there possibly be a beach for in Illinois? There is no ocean near here after all. The answer is simple and pictured above. That is Lake Michigan. Where I am looking out over the water the lake is large enough that even on a clear day, I would be unable to see to the other side. Like the ocean, the lake has waves given its massive size. But these waves are not caused by tides obviously. This is simply wind blowing the water around.
To the Lakefront:
As I continued on my way through Illinois State Beach Park, I encountered a minor inconvenience. Due to the flooding which I already mentioned, parts of the trail were closed down. I was forced to take a detour that was not nearly as scenic as what I missed. Still, I did my best to at least find something remarkable.
The rock pictured above is a memorial. I am not sure who it was dedicated to as there was little time for me to read about it. However, whoever is immortalized there probably contributed in some meaningful way to this park.
The final leg on my trip around Illinois State Beach Park took me right alongside the lake. The clam waves reaching the beach was a soothing sound. The wind that carried those waves however was not. I have lived in Florida for many years and it was a lot colder out here than I am used to. Even with my sweater, at this point, I was starting to feel some discomfort.
But I still managed to take in the sights. The most noteworthy of them was the shed pictured above. I am not sure why it was built or what it was used for. I have watched enough horror movies to know not to explore boarded up buildings. Especially when said boarded up buildings are in a place where no one else was nearby.
Pokemon Go:
So after all these fun adventures, how does Illinois State Beach Park measure up in Pokemon Go? Sadly, not very well. The image above showcases the only Pokestop that I could find in the entire physical park. There are two more in the resort area. But that is a private part of the park. Pokemon did spawn as I continued to walk, but that alone is not reason to come here.
I hatched 3 more eggs on this adventure. Two of them happened to be the same Pokemon. None of them were very exciting. Oh well, better luck next time.