Exploring the World With Pokemon Go: Cady Way Trail 4
After exploring a couple nearby parks, I continued down the nearby trail. Cady Way Trail 4 or the fourth part of the trail ended up being one of the longest walks I have taken for this blog. I took many more pictures than usual. Let’s see what I found.
Before I could properly showcase Cady Way Trail 4, I needed to continue past Cady Way Park. As I already showcased this region in its own post, the images I took were limited as to avoid redundancies. Not to worry though, things changed as soon as I rounded the bend pictured above.
Around the Bend:
I did tell you that things changed on Cady Way Trail 4 as soon as I rounded that next bend. The sun for one was right in my face. The camera I used to take pictures was not pleased with me and as you can see in some of the above photos, they turned out dim and very grey. This was to prevent damage caused by direct sunlight, I think. Remember I am not a professional photographer.
This portion of the trail has a couple crossings at roads. Rather than going under or over these potentially dangerous places, users of the trail must check both ways before crossing the street. Considering how dangerous it is to be a pedestrian in Orlando, one can never be too careful in this regard.
For reference, you can visible see on the map image above how far I actually walked for this post. Everything from the big curve in the top left corner until almost the eastern end of the trail is included in this post. A little over 4 miles when I made the return trip.
Speaking of crossings, one part of the trail in particular does feature a bridge over a street. You can see the first of those pictures above, but I’ll elaborate more on this bridge in just a moment.
The Bridge:
Here at last, Cady Way Trail 4 comes to a bridge that is very special to me. When I first moved to Orlando and for many years after, I passed this trail bridge pictured above multiple times. And every single time I did, I wondered how to cross it. I mean I could have illegally parked and walked to it, but that’s not how I am.
What I mean to say, is I wanted to know what trail crossed on that bridge, and why it was important enough to have its own bridge across Semoran Boulevard (Florida State Road 436). Of course now that I have lived in this region for a long time, I can attest that the bridge over this road is a safety precaution. Given that Semoran is one of the most dangerous roads to drive on in Orlando combined with the deadly risk being a pedestrian carries in Florida, it is easy to see why.
Anyway, to depart from morbid matters, lets talk about the bridge. You get quite a view of the surrounding area at the top. Full Sail University is nearby though you cannot see the campus clearly from the bridge. Looking the other way leads towards Casselberry and Downtown Winter Park. Neither are visible from the bridge or within reasonable walking distance.
Continuing east across the bridge, once again my camera chose to fade images thanks to a certain sun being nearby. At this point in the journey, the heat was beginning to bother me. Around now was the first time I considered turning around. However, I could not figure out where to park to continue my adventure. Realizing I would to make this walk again to continue anyway, I chose to carry on.
Industrial Park:
The next part of Cady Way Trail 4 took me through the many industrial parks to the east of Semoran Boulevard. This section of the trail is to me, the most dreary of the entire journey. Definitely my least favorite area.
After deciding to press forward, the sun seemed to intensify. However, unlike the other area where I could have left the trail at many points, fences blocked me from doing the same here. Many of them even had barbed wire mixed in. It was almost like an acknowledgement. The businesses nearby accepted that the trail was located here, but it was like the annoying neighbor that people did their best to avoid.
I can understand safety concerns as well as corporate secrecy. I just wish there was a little more to see and do in this area of the trail. As it was, my only option was eyes forward and putting my foot in front of the other as I braved the Florida heat.
After crossing Forsyth Road, which is a dangerous crossing given the many trucks that make use of this corridor, I decided I was going to go all the way to the next park as planned. Looking earnestly for a water fountain helped me take my mind off the intense heat.
The next section of Cady Way Trail 4 started with some sort of memorial. I have seen a few of these as I continue to explore the many parks of Florida. And like the others, I do not have the context behind them. Still, I took a moment to respect what I found before continuing on.
The next section of the trail was just like the one before it. I simply continued through the industrial parks with no options to leave the trail. I was drenched in sweat. My shirt looked like it had gone for a swim. But feeling sticky and gross did not stop me from continuing on my way.
Back to Before:
Finally, I reached the section of Cady Way Trail 4 that moved past the industrial parks. Returning to the neighborhood setting that much of the trail passes through in prior areas, I felt a bit relieved. After all, the stopping point of my blog post was nearby. I could even see it far in the distance.
No more than a couple blocks from where I planned to turn around, I spotted a small rest area. Once I drank plenty of water since I was about to turn around and retrace my steps, I looked around to see if I spotted anything remarkable. Had I not explored so many places prior, I might have found something.
The closest thing I found was a warning sign regarding snakes and alligators. Florida was their home long before we decided to come and stay. They might even outlive us. Who knows?
Exhausted from my long walk down Cady Way Trail 4, I crossed both Palmetto Avenue and Goldenrod Road (Florida State Road 551) before getting a look at my next blog post destination. I won’t spoil the surprise, but I am excited to check this next place out.
Mentally ready to make the walk back, I drank more water at the rest area, and then braved the Florida heat once more. I am content to know that this extreme weather did not get in the way of a fantastic day of exploration.
Pokemon Go:
Cady Way Trail 4 continued the trend of Pokemon Go quality increasing the longer I follow the path. While there were no gyms, and Pokestops tended towards pockets like the one pictured above, the spawn rate was nothing short of incredible. I was nonstop catching almost the entire 4 plus miles of walking. And yes, I did open a Meltan Box on the way back. Had to do something to distract from the increasing heat.
All in all, though the heat might be a turnoff and much of the trail is in the sun, Pokemon Go egg hatching is at a premium on a straight shot walk like this one. And the fact that there are tons of spawns and at least some Pokestops to replenish supplies, I will attest that coming here is worth your while.
Speaking of eggs, I hatched an extreme number on this walk. And while most of them made me sigh in disappointment, one of these Pokemon is not like the others. Finally, Riolu has decided to make an appearance. This is the Pokemon I wanted out of an egg above all others. Now that I finally have one, its time to hope on another Pokemon I want badly.
Next time, I’ll be checking out a park near the eastern end of Cady Way Trail. But do not despair, I’ll be back with more stuff even after I finish my run of Cady Way Trail.