Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Central Regional Rail Trail 6
I went back to the Central Regional Rail Trail to explore another large section of the Volusia County Swamps.
The first part of this adventure on the Central Regional Rail Trail took me through the northern half of that strange little spot I stopped at last time. On the left, a gun range. On the right, a conservation area. It was just as surreal the second time.
I also saw a building here. Not quite sure if its someone’s house or a storage unit. Could be both for all I know. Given the gun range right next store, I didn’t feel brave enough to leave the trail and hope a high fence to get a closer look.
Beyond these land features, the trail takes a northern route past a fenced off area until it finally opens up again. This time into a little farming community. Without this trail, I never would have stumbled upon this place. And the next couple of sections showed how much there was to see.
Farming Community:
Central Regional Rail Trail travels through this entire neighborhood. I have to wonder if the railroad that this trail replaced was here before the farms or came after. Even though I saw plenty of locals while completing this walk, I never thought to ask. Probably would have been a weird question anyway.
Speaking of the farms, they were a diverse bunch. I saw goats, cows, horses, more goats, and even a couple nurseries. Hopefully the people living here don’t mind when nosy tourists like me take pictures of their property. Then again, I imagine the nurseries at least like the publicity.
Something else I liked while walking past all these properties was how unique the landscaping was for each one. I probably could have spent a lot more time here just looking at them. But then this blog post would have even more pictures than it already does. And I think I still did this place justice.
Back to the Swamp:
As pretty as all the farms were, the Central Regional Rail Trail couldn’t stay in this one spot forever. Eventually, I moved past all these nice homes and the peaceful neighborhood to return to what much of this trail has taken me through. That lovely green wall of trees and swampland came back.
Notably though, as I finally approached the next trailhead, I started to see something that had been rare for almost the entire journey so far. I wasn’t the only one walking. Yes, some of those who were traveling on foot probably lived in the nearby neighborhood, but still, it was nice to not be the only non biker for several miles on the trail.
I’m excited to see what I’ll find once I pass the trailhead on future adventures. The trail will be taking me through some places I have never seen by car or on foot. And I mean entire towns that I have never been near. Which is a little different than the swampland that I also had never been near before.
More Swamp:
Well here is the swamp that Central Regional Rail Trail just can’t seem to move away from. Don’t get me wrong, I loved walking through this section as much as the others. But it is almost maddening how I have run out of words to describe these scenes better than pictures can.
Oh what am I doing? Don’t mind me ranting at this point. Maybe I need to find an urban trail for my next adventure. That way I’ll have more detailed write ups. Rather than trying to time and time again try to find additional ways to describe something I have written about several times on this blog alone.
Oh I know something I can bring up. Unlike many of my recent adventures, this one happened in the middle of the day. Usually I don’t do this so I don’t get sunburned. And I did get sunburned even with sunscreen. But the reason I chose to go on such an adventure is because it was too cold to do this in the morning. Temperatures were in the 40s when I woke up, and I don’t want to hike in swamps in a sweater.
Bridge:
Technically this was the last section for this part of the Central Regional Rail Trail. The last little bit below is just a few pictures from the trailhead itself. And while this section was still in the swamps, there was a creek, probably the one that the Cow Creek Trailhead derives its name from. And where there is a creek, there is a bridge.
Much of what I saw below the bridge looked dry. But I was in a swamp, so no guarantee that I wouldn’t sink into the ground if I tried going down there for a walk. Not really what I planned for the day. Still, that view did give me a chance to look at the unique landforms that only appear from dry riverbeds.
Another notable thing I spotted on this bridge was the spot where it was dented. I wonder who or what did that? Does the culprit pass this place frequently and remember what they did? Or was it a person or animal on a journey that isn’t even aware of what happened? And maybe nature did this. Perhaps one of the horrible hurricanes from this past year? I doubt I’ll ever find the answer.
Alas all adventures must come to an end. And for this leg of the Central Regional Rail Trail, it was at the Cow Creek Trailhead. After reading so many signs telling me it was over 12 miles away. I’m glad to finally reach it.
You can’t see it in the pictures clearly, but there is large bridge up ahead. Its gonna take me across a busy road whenever I return to continue this adventure. But my time exploring this trail is nearing its end. I’m thinking I can make the rest of this journey in two more hikes. But we shall see when it happens.
Pokémon Go:
Let’s take a look at Pokémon Go around this part of Central Regional Rail Trail. And I want to mention that while less isolated than the last part, this trail was designed for bikes. The only Pokestops on the entire trail up to this point are in this picture. A gym at the trailhead and a Pokestop at that bridge I talked about prior.
I imagine that as I get closer to the nearby towns, I’ll see more Pokestops and spawns. This is what happened on the Coast to Coast Trail so I’m sure it will repeat. I will say that if you do want to hike this part of the trail and play Pokémon Go, there are plenty of spawns. Just make sure to stock up on items. There are no stops outside near the trailhead after all.
Though I walked 8 miles, I only hatched one Pokémon. And though I need the candy for Qwilfish, it wasn’t what I wanted to come out of that egg.
My blue incense paid serious dividends on this adventure. I finally caught an Articuno on this walk. Look, I even posted a picture of the Articuno as additional proof and to remind myself that it actually happened.
The sneaky fox stole your food while you read this. Too late for you. There is nothing you can do.
Here I am to before I noticed the horrible sunburns I earned on this walk. But I’ll get over that soon enough. I can’t believe I finally completed this long leg of the Central Regional Rail Trail. For months I was afraid to walk this segment worried I couldn’t handle several 8 mile walks. But now on the other side, of those walks, I feel great and its an amazing accomplishment to say I managed to travel 24 miles in a two week span.
There is still more of this trail to explore. And while most of it is behind me, there are still a couple adventures left till I reach the end. I hope you enjoy the rest of this journey.