Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Seminole Wekiva Trail 8
I quickly returned to hike Seminole Wekiva Trail 8. This part of the adventure started with another tunnel.
As it turned out, there was more than one tunnel on this trail. Seminole Wekiva Trail 8 started with one. This time I got to travel under Lake Mary Boulevard.
Far away from all the forest preserves, the shopping centers and busy roads nearby helped set the tone for what was to come. Mile Marker 10.5 didn’t even get its own spot. Its on the wall as one enters the tunnel.
Mile Marker 10.75:
Passing through the tunnel, Seminole Wekiva Trail emerges on the other side where it follows International Parkway a good distance. This is not the same road as the vastly more well known International Drive.
The first thing thing I saw of note was a Shell Gas Station that also doubled as a repair shop. I don’t immediately remember seeing one of these before. However, given that I didn’t take too long thinking about if this was unusual or not, I’ll assume that at some point in my life I have seen another one.
Mile Marker 10.75 took me past the tunnel and into a type of area that this trail had not gone to prior. You will see what I mean picture wise in a moment.
Seminole Wekiva Trail 8 didn’t take me through forest preserves. But I wasn’t going through a downtown district of a locale either. Instead, cooperate buildings and the green areas they maintain dotted the landscape around the trail. I’m not sure how much the workers at these companies get to properly enjoy these properties, but hopefully they get some time outside to refresh from their jobs.
You can really see how much these companies value privacy. If not far away to keep eyes away, these building all had fences and other natural barriers almost to the trail itself. I guess I can understand their reasoning, though this level of paranoia is a bit baffling. Not really. Opportunistic people exist and only need to be a small part of the population to cause harm.
Mile Marker 11.0:
Mile Marker 11.0 on Seminole Wekiva Trail 8 was basically the exact same as the section before it. Well except that the fencing and distancing from businesses got even more extreme.
But if you think the rest of this post is going to sound repetitive, don’t worry. The next section had a pleasant surprise in store.
Mile Marker 11.25:
The next section of Seminole Wekiva Trail 8 put me almost right against Interstate 4. All it would have taken was one hopped fence for me to be in the path of cars traveling faster than 70 Miles an Hour. Being this close to an Interstate on foot is always sort of surreal to me even if it seems like nothing otherwise.
Perhaps its due to all the nearby businesses, but I noticed that the garbage cans on this segment of the trail lacked the earlier graffiti. Not sure if the local area pays to have it removed or if its just harder to commit a crime here. Since I have no intention of breaking the law, I doubt I’ll ever get an answer.
Mile Marker 11.25 marked the halfway point of this trail’s parallel to the nearby Interstate. And that meant I took several more pictures of that view.
Mile Marker 11.5:
The next section of Seminole Wekiva Trail 8 featured more of Interstate 4 to the side. However, there were a few new features added. Notably, multiple stations off limits to normal people. I assume that these pipe stations were built alongside the highway due to right of way laws and all that. Still, its a strange that a trail open to the public would be so close to several of them.
Like I get that they have to be somewhere and a trail features open and available space. But on the flip side, I doubt I am the only one thinking that the wrong person could cause some trouble with the ease of access. Good thing I’m not that individual at least.
Mile Marker 11.5 put me that much closer to a unique milestone. See what I did there? Anyway, in an upcoming blog post, I’ll talk more about that.
Mile Marker 11.75:
As I passed Mile Marker 11.75 on Seminole Wekiva Trail 8, I looked around at all the open land. Its private land mostly and I feel like a lot of it exists just to look pretty. And that seems so wasteful to me. Like I get that wasting space is some sort of obnoxious flex, but it bothers me. Especially when looking at the world under the lens of a travel blog.
Why have all this open land if its not going to be used. Some of these companies should jump at the chance for free PR and create some public spaces near this trail. Its not like it wouldn’t be hard for people to get here. With all these beautiful ponds and other local features, I’m sure these green spaces would draw crowds.
Mile Marker 12.0:
Mile Marker 12.0 marked the end of the journey on Seminole Wekiva Trail 8. But there are plenty more sections to explore. However, first, I’ll be checking out a nearby park. I’m not sure what I will find when I get there. But that is half the fun of exploring the world in the first place.
Compared to the last section, this part at least featured that green space being used for more than grass. I am sorry I went off about wasting space, but using what we have efficiently is a topic I care about. And getting to see the world means exposing myself to as many different places and ideas as possible.
Pokémon Go:
I showcased Seminole Wekiva Trail 8 in the real world. It was a different type of walk then all the other segments leading up to it. Now let’s go over how this section was in Pokémon Go. Unfortunately as the above screenshot shows, not as great as prior areas.
A lot of business don’t like Pokestops and Gyms near their work areas. Since this entire part of the trail took me past such buildings, I wasn’t surprised to see a lack of spots of interest in game. That unfortunately means the spawns were limited as well.
This seems to be the weakest part of the trail to play Pokémon Go so far. Don’t let that stop you from coming here. But remember the parks linked to the Seminole Wekiva Trail. Perhaps those are the spots to check out instead.
I hatched a Fennekin and Swirlix while walking down Seminole Wekiva Trail 8. Unfortunately, neither hatch was really worthwhile to me. Well the journey is more important than the destination right?
I explored more of Seminole Wekiva Trail 8 with this Axew. It still has some time before it can evolve. Look forward to more pictures of this little Dragon. It was right at home in this tunnel. Axew love tunnels.
Wrap Up:
As I mentioned in a prior post, I love tunnels. I didn’t bother trying to hide my excitement while checking this one out on Seminole Wekiva Trail 8.
There is still some trail left to explore and a couple parks along the way. I’m excited to see what I’ll find next.