Exploring the World with Pokémon Go: Central Florida Rail Trail Final
After almost a year, I finally got a chance to come back to the Central Florida Rail Trail to cross the final segment. I managed to beat the heat.
Almost a year ago, I stopped at this section of the Central Florida Rail Trail. But I was ready to walk the final segment and so woke up early and drove about forty minutes to return. This section of the trail took me just south and east of New Smyrna Beach towards another costal town in Florida called Edgewater.
Like a lot of the prior sections of the trail, the final segment of Central Florida Rail Trail cut through swampland in Volusia County, Florida. As this used to be a railroad transporting freight, much of the trail keeps away from residential areas. Most of the non swamp land took me near industrial parks. I’m guessing many of them have been here almost as long as the trail itself.
I also saw a water retention area with warning signs everywhere not to drink the water. Unlike a lot of people, I’m aware that these signs exist due to legal liability issues. Its not because the world has grown dumber. Quite the contrary in fact.
Near the middle of the final section of the Central Florida Rail Trail, I encountered another wooden bridge that took me across some swampland. I have traveled across plenty of these in my travels. In fact this trail alone from start to end has countless number of them. But I never grow tired of crossing them. Its the perfect way to see an ecosystem below without causing too much of a detrimental impact on them.
Reaching the End
The final segment of the final segment (heh) of the Central Florida Rail Trail looked a lot like the prior parts of the trail initially. Of course that changed as I reach the actual end. But first I crossed another bridge across the swamp.
Nearing the end I passed a local college campus, and signs of civilization which rushed to meet me at an alarming pace considering what the rest of these photos looked like. It was pretty drastic going from empty swampland to a street that had several neighborhoods around it.
All adventures come to an end. And at long last I finished my hike down the Rail Trail. There are many more adventures for me to partake. And now that I have a year of experience working outside in the Florida Summer, I might not have to wait several more months before I do so.
Pokémon Go
Its been a long time since I explored for my travel blog, and Pokémon Go has drastically changed in that year. Now we have updated graphics and biomes to showcase where specific species of Pokémon may be found. For that reason I’ll mention which biomes I saw on my adventures starting with this post.
With that out of the way, how does the final segment of the Central Florida Rail Trail measure up in game? Well the end point is located right next to a college campus. And in most cases, these are good spots to play. Unfortunately most of the stops and gyms are on the campus and not close to the trail.
The trail itself was mostly forest biome. No surprises there. The rest of it was field and a little section marked as by a lake. Swampland is technically all of these places combined.
Still due to its close proximity, as well as a random nearby neighborhood on a dirt road with unexpectedly good spawns, the trail wasn’t too bad in this segment. Past parts of it were truly in the middle of nowhere with basically no spawns and Pokestops non existent.
I still would recommend a park over the trail if you wish to play the game, but its not a terrible spot. Especially compared to the more isolated parts of this trail that are far away from trailheads. Maybe steer clear of those parts if you lack a bike.
Eggs
I hatched 3 eggs on my adventure down the final section of the Central Florida Rail Trail. I did appreciate the Fuecoco candy, but otherwise there was nothing remarkable to see.
My goals have changed in Pokémon Go since the last time I hiked the Central Florida Rail Trail. On the final part I was walking a Bastidoon. A purified one in fact. That’s because I started actually playing in the Go Battle League to overcome ladder anxiety in Video Games. Those who play this game dread seeing this Pokémon. Naturally I want one fully ready to go for that very reason.
While hiking the final section I activated a blue incense. The Snorlax was a nice surprise along the way.
Here I am almost a year older than my last adventure. Happy to have completed this hike. It took a lot longer than I intended. At least this round the trails ending wasn’t nearly as anticlimactic. More adventures are coming. My current job has set my sleep schedule to where I wake up before the sun does. This will aid me immensely in avoiding the Florida heat as summer rolls around.