Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Sanford Riverwalk East
I woke up and decided to walk the rest of the trail right outside my home. Let’s see what I found on Sanford Riverwalk East.
Sanford Riverwalk East starts right where I left off when I was here before. Unlike my last adventure I came here in the morning, armed with a hat, covered in bug spray, and protected by sunscreen. See? I told you I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
With the sun rising, I got a spectacular set of pictures over Lake Monroe. Those clouds look pretty cool don’t they? Also I want to talk about how nice it is to not have to talk about empty swamp land. This trail takes people through the north part of downtown Sanford. Its crazy to think I am only about 40 miles away from that other trail. Its like a different world over here.
This trail appears to have had mile markers at one point, but most of them are missing now. Instead I looked for different landmarks to break up the sections of this post. The first break moment is when I reached the nearby hospital. To me its a positive that I live so close to one. It means I won’t be paying obscene amounts for transportation in an ambulance. And that is all I’ll say about that.
Wonderful Views:
The beautiful sunrise and pictures of the water continued as I made my way down Sanford Riverwalk East. Palm trees dot the landscape. Bikers and walkers shared the path with me. I had to take my pictures with care as a result. I try my best not to include people in my images after all.
For your viewing pleasure I also took a couple photos of the other side of the path. Its mostly road over there. The occasional housing complex and even some empty land. I doubt it will stay that way for long though.
Originally I wanted to come here at night. This trail has a special feel in the dark. All the lights go on and the water is the only sound besides humans and cars. And the occasional frog. Its really something. And unlike many other places I have visited, I live here so I walk down this trail all the time. That means there is always a chance that I’ll show you that different side of this trail.
You can see a mile marker in the above image. But I don’t know what that half mile is referring to. Probably an older version of this trail. You can tell by how much care and attention to detail the designers put in that this trail is relatively new. Or at least parts of it are.
Bridge:
The next section of Sanford Riverwalk East took me right up to downtown Sanford itself. Over a bridge, and through some well shaded places, the landscapes here are much more diverse than some of the trail hikes east of here. Then again much of that is due to human intervention.
Much of what is here is because people came and changed the landscape. You will hear me talk more about that in a bit. Plenty of signs up ahead told me the history of the area and this trail as well.
I have hiked this trail quite a bit and this is actually my least favorite section of the whole thing. But mostly that is cause the next part is where downtown Sanford truly begins. And now that I have lived here for a while, there is a lot to see and do here.
Into Downtown:
Here is where things get interesting on Sanford Riverwalk East. I made it to the downtown section. This is a go to spot for Pokémon Go, so naturally I was happy to be here for several reasons. Of course there were tons of people here so I had to take some of these pictures at odd angles to make sure that no one got in this post by accident.
Not quite sure if the stuff out on the lake is what used to be docks turn to debris or something intentionally built that way. Florida has been hit by quite a few catastrophic hurricanes over the last twenty years and some of that damage has never been fully repaired. Then again, these wooden walls might be ways to keep boats from getting too close. Lake Monroe is deep enough for actual boats to sail. More on that in a moment.
There are plenty of signs to read in this area. Some educate on the history of Sanford or some of the animals that live here. But at least one talked about the history of this trail and how it was built. I spent some time reading that one. But you will have to visit yourself to learn what I did while here.
Boats, Food, and More:
Downtown Sanford has a lot to offer. There are tons of restaurants to eat at and boats to look at. Unless you own a boat that is. But I’m not one of those people. What were we talking about again? Oh right. Things to look at and do in downtown Sanford.
I found even more pieces of information to read. Mostly cause normally I don’t get a chance to read them. Sanford Riverwalk East actually has a self guided tour that you can take by scanning the QR code on one of these signs. But I decided to explore on my own.
I want to draw special attention to a restaurant in one of the pictures above. I love Sanford Pizza Company. Sometimes when I walk down the trail, I’ll grab food there before walking home. Usually with some Pokémon Go on the way. One of the reasons I moved to this part of Sanford was so I could walk places instead of driving. I’m only two miles away on foot. Considering I casually walk 7, its not too much of a commitment.
East of Downtown:
The farthest east part of Sanford Riverwalk East was all new territory to me. Maybe I should have split this section in two. There was a lot to see here. Although a lot of the newest stuff I saw will be covered in future blog posts. Several parks over here.
I couldn’t believe that a fence was built specifically to stop people from walking down a specific and very narrow path over the water. But given how stingy people with money tend to be, I imagine that this must be a a serious issue for this level of petty to happen.
This section of Lake Monroe starts transforming into the marshes that you have seen quite a bit of east of here. The Saint Johns River flows through the lake and continues north towards Jacksonville. This is the other end of the lake and its a lot harder to navigate the river starting here.
Plenty more signs distracted my mind as I continued my walk. Not to mention all the new places I was seeing. I was a bit shocked at how the trail ended. It just turned into a sidewalk and entered a nearby neighborhood. The other end of this trail feeds into another bike path. Guess I wrongfully assumed that this end would be the same.
Pokémon Go:
Let’s talk about Sanford Riverwalk East as far as Pokémon Go is concerned. Its an incredible place to play. Pokestops everywhere. Plenty of gyms and tons of spawns all along the way. Well almost all of it. The section that starts in the middle was not as good as the eastern half. But that might just be a consequence of little over there besides apartment complexes.
Where many people gather, you will find amazing spots to play Pokémon Go. Especially crowded public places like a downtown district of a city. Sanford is not an exception to this.
I hatched two eggs. I didn’t really find any excitement from either. Perhaps next time I’ll get better stuff.
Tirtouga had a lot of fun joining me on this walk down Sanford Riverwalk East. And I almost have enough candy to evolve it. I wonder who my next buddy will be? Well time will tell. Enjoy this turtle for a bit longer.
Originally I wanted to take this walk at night. But I think I made the right call finally documenting it in the early morning. I can’t wait to see what I find next. There are a ton of parks around here to check out and give me a chance to rest my feet from hiking the trails.