Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Lake Monroe Wayside Park
After my adventure took me near here, I decided to check out Lake Monroe Wayside Park. Considering that this place is right between Interstate 4 and US 17-92 I was amazed I didn’t know this place existed.
Park from Above:
Before I went and explored Lake Monroe Wayside Park from the ground, I decided to look at it from above. I have not gotten such an opportunity at other parks. So fulfilling a promise I made on a single blog post prior, I went past where the Cross Seminole Trail ends to see this region from a unique angle.
The park is mostly used to launch boats, but there is plenty of space to do other activates. At the time of taking these photos though, I was thinking about how neat it was to be on this bridge. I have driven up and down this road that takes 17-92 across Lake Monroe. But now I’m exploring on foot and noticing so many things I didn’t know were nearby. Like this park for example.
Something else I am learning as I explore the areas near large bridges is what is stored under them. It makes sense to use that space. I just didn’t realize that so much construction equipment sits hidden under bridges. Makes me wonder what else might be hidden under some of these places. Perfect shade from the sun and assuming the engineers built them well, a low chance of breaking.
Along the Bridge:
As I continued taking pictures of Lake Monroe Wayside Park from above thanks to the bridge, at long last Lake Monroe itself came into view. I mentioned this lake a couple times in prior blog posts. Mostly because the sheer size of the lake there are few roads that travel near here. Not helping things is that state parks line the outside of Lake Monroe as well.
I looked at a map and saw that there are three roads that go north south anywhere near the lake. Traffic jams are probably common in this part of Florida. I know that I have been stuck in a few. Speaking of traffic jams, you can see Interstate 4 off in the distance. That’s right I’m on the other side of that highway again. In my last adventure I crossed under it.
Anyway, enough about roads. Even as I continue writing, I am filled with wonder looking at these pictures. I am so overjoyed that I decided to take pictures from the bridge. But don’t worry, I’ll go into the park soon enough.
One other thing. You might notice I took a few pictures of the other side of US 17-92. The park is not over there obviously. But there are some factories. Its a shame that major pollutants that ultimately help the world work have to be near water to function. I’m sure if I followed the water in either direction, I would see more. I’ll talk about the other side again in a moment because that river has appeared on this blog before.
The High Point:
The bridge near Lake Monroe Wayside like any bridge, reaches a high point. Given how low things normally are in Florida, I gave myself some time to appreciate being up in the air. You can see Interstate 4 off in the distance crossing right through Lake Monroe. At least the 17-92 goes off to the side. I’m sure the people who built these bridges researched the impact to wildlife. Well at least I hope so.
Anyway, back to the park. Those are not little piers down there. Those are barriers to keep boats from crashing into things. But it looks like I’m even higher up than truth if you look down. Maybe I should have lied? Nah that isn’t my style.
You can see a little of another nearby park in the above images. Don’t worry, I’ll be exploring that place soon. Perhaps even my next blog post. Its either go there, or go to Sanford and explore all the parks there. I feel like if I fully cross into Volusia County, I’ll want to explore the nearby trail and see where it leads. Decisions, decisions.
I just realized while looking at the pictures that I accidently broke a rule of this blog. There is a person in one of the images. Luckily they are far enough away that it should be impossible to identify them. I’m sorry random stranger. I hope nothing bad happens because of that image. They aren’t doing anything wrong by the way. Just fishing.
Don’t worry, I’m not done talking about the bridge. One last thing. One one side is Lake Monroe. I mentioned that on the other side is a river that has appeared in my travel blog before. For those of you who read my posts while I was in Jacksonville, guess what. That’s the Saint Johns River again. In fact Lake Monroe is part of that river. Just seems I can’t get away from this river that flows north extremely slow.
Back on the Ground:
After leaving the bridge and getting back on the ground, I explored Lake Monroe Wayside Park from a different if yet more ordinary angle. Still, there were a few things I didn’t see from above. And I made sure to take pictures of those spots.
From a couple spots to sit, to plenty of signs talking about what to do and not do in the area, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of details. I initially thought this was a simple boat docking area. It made me happy to see that this is a fully functional park on top of being a spot to enter the Saint Johns River and the massive lake it feeds into.
I saw signs warning of toxic green algae. It didn’t show up in my pictures, but I actually saw the stuff from up on the bridge. I didn’t realize how dangerous it was from that distance. Thought it was a naturally occurring thing. I was quite shocked when I read the sign warning about staying away.
Many of the maps and signs I read didn’t really apply to me. My grandfather would be disappointed that I never really got into boating. It seems fun, but its a much more expensive hobby than simply walking around parks on foot. Maybe one day I’ll give it a try. Though I’m already in my thirties and I only have so much time to live.
Standing on History:
The final area of Lake Monroe Wayside Park took me to what seemed like an odd place for a bridge. A sign cleared up any confusion. I was standing on one of the first bridges of its kind in the entire state of Florida. While its not in use anymore for cars, it was pretty neat to be standing on a piece of history. Now the bridge is used as a dock.
I took one more shot of Interstate 4. When you live in Orlando, you have a love hate relationship with this road. Personally, I’ll always consider the expressways in Chicago to be much worse than this infamous road that runs from Tampa to Daytona Beach with Disney in the middle.
On the other side, facing the Saint Johns River, was another bridge. A railroad bridge that carries Sunrail, CXS Freight Trains, and Amtrak across lake Monroe. There are only so many ways through this area. I always wondered how those train drawbridges worked. I bet that building right next to it holds the answer. To bad I’ll never set foot in a place like that. It seems like an employees only club.
Pokémon Go:
I think I have talked about Lake Monroe Wayside Park in reality. I even went up onto a bridge to see it from a unique angle. Let’s talk about this place from another unique lens: Pokémon Go. That Gym appeared in my last post. It sits near the end of the Cross Seminole Trail. But that aside, how does this park measure up to other places I have explored.
Essentially its decent. Even from the bridge I had spawns. And there are a Pokestop and a Gym to spin. They are not too far apart. However, I have visited some parks and even segments of trails filled to the brim with Pokestops and Gyms. This is not one of those places.
However, there is one obvious perk of playing Pokémon Go here. There was an event going on while I visited so the spawns were unusual, but one specific Pokémon kept popping up. And when that happens that means its a nest. Nests change over time. So if you need a specific rare Pokémon, there is a chance this park might be where you want to go. Of course it is harder now to check nests than it was in the past. Oh well, at least that is a major positive of this area as far as the game is concerned.
I hatched a Togepi while walking around. Too bad its stats were horrible. I still need a strong Togekiss for Pvp battles. I don’t want to talk anymore about Pokémon Battles on this post. It will become longer than everything above here if I even try to bring that up.
Here is Axew being educated by its trainer about why trains are awesome. I imagine looking at a railroad bridge is healthier for the baby dragon than the potential of eating pizza. Its doubtful that greasy food is healthy for any baby much less a young dragon. No matter. Look how happy it is to be there.
Wrap Up:
Here I am in front of that same railroad bridge on the dock that was once a bridge itself. This park was a surprise find. One that I don’t regret visiting at all. I don’t know where my next adventure will take me, but that is half the fun. Can’t really explore the world if I plan every step I take.