Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Mike Kirby Park
I took a break from hiking the Cross Seminole Trail to explore nearby Mike Kirby Park. I didn’t know what I would find. Let’s see what I did.
Mike Kirby Park is located in Sanford, Florida. Just to the side of the Cross Seminole Trail, only a couple signs right near the end of my last adventure even notified me of this place’s existence. I wasn’t quite sure what I had found when I first arrived.
A lot of the signage had lists of people who had completed events. And the way they chose to name things made it sound like the events hosted here were a huge deal. Also there was the Soapbox Derby hosted here. No idea what that is.
I saw what looked like a trail heading away from where I parked. Figuring that was the logical way to go, I went that way next.
The Track:
The next section of Mike Kirby Park featured a sprinting track. Some of the award postings made a bit more sense now. Still I wanted to see what sort of events were hosted here. Given that the course was blocked off at multiple points, it didn’t appear to be in use at the moment. Maybe they only open it up for those special events?
Still the segment at the top where I looked down at the path would make a decent workout in its own right. There are not enough hilly places in Florida. Testament to being a swamp and all. Any hills I can find, I can put to use.
I wasn’t the only one using the park and had to carefully take my photos to avoid adding guests to them. Perhaps the other runners thought I was odd. Standing at the top of the hill waiting for them all to be out of my field of vision probably appeared strange. I’m glad that I rarely need to explain myself when I go exploring.
I also saw a playground off to the side as I made my way to the finish line. Kids get to play while their parents and siblings compete in races. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal for all involved.
More to See:
The final section of Mike Kirby Park had more playground for kids and a dog park too. There seemed to be plenty of things to do here for all ages.
I saw volleyball courts and simple green spaces. There is lot to do here and the space is designed for everything to seamlessly fall together. There are no features that seem forced into the mix. Even the little trees growing along the path seem to fit with the aesthetic.
There were a couple more signs talking about world championships and whatnot. I take descriptions like that with a grain of salt. Like I give credit to the people who won the local competition. But they are not world champions. They would have to compete against people from all over the world. If such events happened at this park, I’m certain I would have heard about this place at some point.
Pokémon Go:
Once more I forgot to take a picture of this park within Pokémon Go. I’m sorry that I keep doing that. In the moment I am enjoying myself so much that I make mistakes. All in all, Mike Kirby Park had decent spawn rates and plenty of Pokestops to keep me playing.
While there are prime spots that are much better gameplay wise, this park is actually better than the nearby Cross Seminole Trail for playing Pokémon Go. Just don’t forget to look up from your phone, no matter what choice of adventure you choose.
Anyway, I hatched a Wailmer from an egg. Not only is Wailmer not very good in Pokémon Go, this specific one had the worst stats possible from hatching an egg. My disappointment is immeasurable. Well, I just need to keep hatching eggs. Eventually something neat will come out. Right?
Axew might be a bit too young to run all the way across this part of the park in a single burst of energy, but I won’t stop it if it wants to try. I’m glad my buddy had fun at least. Mike Kirby Park has a lot to offer after all.
Wrap Up:
I messed up when I took this picture and somehow stopped smiling right before it was taken. I’m not lying I swear. Mike Kirby Park was pretty neat and I even got a chance to sprint a little. Been too long since I properly stretched my legs and ran that fast.
I’ll be heading back to the Cross Seminole Trail next time. There is plenty of trail to cover and a significantly larger world that needs exploring.