Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Guthridge Park
On one of the last days I got to spend in Iowa, I found Guthridge Park. I wish I had had more time to spend cause what I saw here was amazing.
While it might have been a rainy day, my excitement was not quashed. The moment I found Guthridge Park, I knew that there was something special here. The first thing I spotted was a playground under construction. This is one of the first time I have seen something like that. Pretty impressive considering the sheer number of parks I have explored at this point.
Though I stuck to the path there was plenty of park that I didn’t get a chance to properly walk. I did my best to get pictures of such spots. Notably, despite the sheer number of features, this park still has plenty of open space for visitors to use the park as they wish. The space here is used effectively and is pleasing on the eyes.
Unique Features:
Moving further into Guthridge Park, I saw some familiar features. Notably I spotted another book drop bin. I am unsure if these are just common in the Midwest. But I saw them at almost every park in Illinois. Meanwhile only one park out of the countless ones visited in Florida had one. Though some might have been updated post Covid. I might never solve that specific riddle.
Meanwhile I found a few more features that are common at the larger parks. More open areas paved way to specific places. Some of these spots were being used despite the impending rain. Telling just how popular this park must be on a good day. With some shaded areas, I figured that some visitors were planning to come here to wait out the rain.
The most interesting feature I saw at the beginning of Guthridge Park was the small circular area pictured above. I hadn’t seen a place like this at a playground before and I wonder what it might be used for. Perhaps teachers bring their classes here from the nearby school. This seems like a perfect spot to teach.
Greenery:
Walking deeper into Guthridge Park, I saw more of what I already mentioned. This is hardly a bad thing though. This is a beautiful park and so sometimes letting the pictures speak for themselves is the way to go. I wasn’t surprised to see a volleyball court given the sheer number of other facilities here.
Guthridge Park is quite large. I figure that is obvious by this point. But in case that wasn’t clear here is a second parking lot. Parks with multiple entrances are multitudes of places to park are designed to make use of huge volumes of people.
I can imagine that this place was packed constantly before Covid. In fact, even post Covid, I would bet this place gets crowded. This adventure just took place on a weekday during an incoming thunderstorm. It wasn’t raining yet when I was at this point in my adventure but said rain was coming.
Baseball Fields:
Like many parks I have explored all over the United States, Guthridge Park has baseball fields. Something that does make this park a bit different than some of the others however was the trail that took me behind those fields. This area of the park was strangly silent. That was despite what sat not even twenty feet from where I was.
You might notice a fence on the right side as I walked down this trail. This protects park goers from wandering into the brush on the right. Just past that brush is Interstate 380 (Iowa). This park is located just north of Cedar Rapids and there is plenty of traffic traveling down the road. The brush keeps noise in the park. Maintaining that natural illusion that one is far from industry.
As I continued down this path at Guthridge Park, I spotted some beautiful flowers along the noise canceling brush. I probably could have taken a few more pictures of them. At least you get one. I also managed to get a better picture of the nearby Interstate highway. In that last picture you might be able to see a bridge in the distance. Look past the trees.
One interesting choice of building in this part of the park is making use of the slope towards the interstate. The ground near the baseball fields dips down and offers a rare chance to actually see those fields from a lower elevation. It really doesn’t seem like much, but it was a difference I couldn’t ignore.
Even More Features:
I continued my adventure around Guthridge Park and reached another parking lot. In addition, I found another shelter and even a spot where the park could host live events like music. Its really impressive just how many things one can do at this park. And I should mention these pictures specifically showcase the outside.
There was an inner area that I opted to skip for a couple reasons. Notably there were children at play. I try to avoid taking pictures of those situations. But there was a second reason, unique to this adventure. I was in a rush. There was only so much I had time to see. I traveled to this park while my friends took care of a couple errands in the area. This was a last minute adventure that I only had an hour to make work.
For the last leg of my adventure at Guthridge Park, I looked at the time and needed to start heading back. As timing had it, the sky opened it and it started to rain. You can see on the path in front of me evidence of the storm. It only got worse as I headed back.
You can see tennis courts in the distance. After all the other facilities, its no surprise that this sport has a place all its own at the park. I wish the weather had been better and that I could have spent more time here. Under those conditions, I probably could have taken twice as many pictures if I could have explored this spot at my leisure.
Pokémon Go:
I have talked at length about Guthridge Park in the real world. But what is it like in Pokémon Go? Take a look at the above image. Do you see all those Pokestops? Do you see diverse Pokémon in the nearby image? Well there a Bidoof event which ruins that question. But, there were a ton of Pokemon spawning here. And I think this was a nest for Dwebble. Nests are always places worth checking out. Especially if you need the Pokémon that is appearing.
I couldn’t get the whole park in one image. But there are a couple more gyms and even a few more Pokestops not visible. I didn’t get to check out any of the other nearby parks. In fact, this is the only place in all of Cedar Rapids, Iowa that I was able to explore. There might be better spots, but this park will not disappoint. No matter what reason you pick for visiting, this place is nothing short of remarkable.
I’m not sure how Sewaddle is floating in this picture. But it had fun apparently climbing the fence of the Tennis Courts. I wonder what it climbed up on to manage to sit in that spot though?
Since it was raining as I left I was about to put my phone back in my pocket. But last minute I saw a Bronzor and clicked. A good thing I did cause it was shiny. Also Sparks’ comment proves that I was in Iowa and near Cedar Rapids.
What’s this? I look sort of happy? Must be because I had a great time exploring Guthridge Park. I wouldn’t get used to this though. As I’m sure you are all aware, I don’t smile often.
Wrap Up:
Well I’m not in Iowa anymore as of writing this blog post. But that means I’m back in Florida and ready to explore more stuff in my neighborhood.