Parks and Recreation: Scythers, Dratini and Magikarp at Rope Mill, Hobgood, JJ Biello, Kenny Askew, and Barrett

I finally joined the Cherokee County Pokemon Go Club. That sounds a lot more like a social obligation than it is so let me rephrase: I finally joined the local pokemon Facebook group. I've explored the area quite a bit so there was not a lot of new information there for me but there were a couple of new things. First and foremost was Hobgoblin Park which you'd expect to be full of Drowzees. I'd totally meant to stop there at some point, but Towne Lake seemed like such a waste of time every time I passed through; if I had stopped I'd have found it was actually called Hobgood Park (disappointing, to be honest) and it's full of Scythers. You have to stay a little back from the road to get them. I lunched there at the picnic tables by the road and none spawned but then I walked over to the children's park and two spawned. I've been there once or twice more since then and I recommend definitely stay on the inside edge of the parking lot. Or I dunno, actually go in amidst the baseball fields.

On the way home I picked up another Scyther or two at JJ Biello Park also near the baseball fields where I'd gotten one before. One of them gave me a hard time. Hitting away my pokeballs with a swing of his ridiculous baseball-bat-like arms every time I threw them.

So with virtually every park I've been to paying off in some way I decided to check google maps for any other parks I'd not been to. I came up with only one in the area, called Kenny Chesney park. I mean Crooked Kenny park. No. Kenny Askew Park. It's not memorable because there's virtually no park there just a baseball diamond in the parking lot of the Boys and Girls Club. And a Scyther. I think Scythers like to play baseball. For reals.

I hit up Barnett Park again maybe for the third time. I forget what I got. Something okay but not earth shattering. Oh, right, another Scyther. Of course, there's a baseball field or three there.

Another thing I saw on the Facebook group was a suggestion that maybe Rope Mill wasn't worth the trip anymore, so I ate lunch there the next day. I think a couple Dratini made it well worth the trip, tho I admit I saw no Electabuzzes. The Dratini I got there went well with the one I got at the Magikarp gate at JJ Biello. Also the Magikarp from both parks now that I think of it. The Magikarp are usually overshadowed by something more awesome but I do always get a couple Magikarp at Rope Mill.

Are there any parks near Bridgemill I've missed? Let me know in the comments below.

Farmers Markets, meh. Ooh, a Dratini!

I tried this past holiday weekend to find pawpaw fruits and pokemon at two farmers markets. I failed on both counts. Canton Farmers Market was supposed to have pawpaw fruits. Like everyone else, I've been to Canton before so I should have known better than to expect pokemon. I mean, I got a Nidoran and an Ekans for my trouble, but all I really get out of Canton is balls.

So when the pawpaw seller appeared not to show up, I want to the Marietta Square Farmers Market on the following day. Again, a couple of minor pokemon, some balls, and no pawpaws. In fact, the farmers there on Sunday had never heard of pawpaws. Also, since when do farmers markets have so few farmers? Also, the Marietta Square Farmers Market was not in Marietta Square. It was more off-Marietta Square in the way that things are off-broadway. Not quite the quality you'd expect. Instead there was Art-Thing (probably not the real name). Again, nothing to show for it but balls.

Parking for the farmers' market is at the bent willy.

On the way home, I visited JJ Biello for a much needed payoff. I got a little something extra this time.

That's a Dratini. It's adorable.

On Monday, I went up to Lake Conasauga. Don't. At least not for pokemon (though I did pick up a Squirtle and a Growlithe in Ellijay on the way). There's no signal near the lake until you're half way back down the mountain when there's one pokestop. It looks like this, which I guess is okay.

Kennesaw Battlefield: A sack full of bulbasaurs and bellsprouts

While at Olde Rope Mill Park, we met a nice couple and their baby in a ricer. Not the baby in a ricer, the family; the baby was in a stroller. We told them about the Electabuzzes. They knew. Obviously, they knew; they were there while the Electabuzzes were spawning all over the place. We told them about the Magikarps. They told us about Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

When we got almost there, we hit the jackpot of pokestops, which would have been good if we'd been there at the right time.

I thought this was a really cool thing that Cheatham Hill did, so we found the quickest place to turn around and left for the battlefield. I suspect they have funerals just about every day, so if you plan on going here, maybe just stick to the 5pm to 8pm hours all of the time.

There are walking bits at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield and I'm here to tell you, if your goal is pokemon, don't bother. The Bulbasaurs are best found driving.

I could have sworn I had a map of the first Bulbasaur area we drove, but I lost it. Pick anywhere, the place is huge.

The first driving bit we did, around a bunch of walking trails we got about a dozen Bulbasaurs. The second driving bit we did was up the mountain. There are a bunch of idiots in the road 100% of the time, often with dogs, strollers, double strollers and dogs in strollers, but there's more than just Bulbasaurs...

Please, come, check out our lovely views.

On the way out of Kennesaw, we stopped by Costco for some discounted gas, and it's a good thing we did because on the way out of the Costco drive we caught this...

Today's update on the Magikarps and Psyducks at JJ Biello park. They closed the gate. Maybe they read my first post. Don't fret! Just turn around and stop right at the gate and they still show. Look how happy this guy is!

There were a couple of extra goodies today as well, in addition to a Slowpoke at the back gate there was this guy at the baseball fields above it.

Where to get a Scyther, and more Eggsecutes I guess

So, the idea yesterday was to grab lunch on the way to somewhere that would have interesting pokemon and a a good number of pokestops. So, to start with lunch at a pokestop, the Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q has a cigar store indian inside that is a pokestop (sometimes reachable from the street). Actually it has two of them, but only one is a pokestop. It turns out, in addition to its usual pidgeys, spearows, fried okra, and rattatas, it also has these...

So the payoff should have been the Georgia National Cemetery, but after the Scyther (a new one for me), a Clefairy, an Eggsecute, some Evees, and an Abra (all of which I had) were more like the icing on the cake than the main feature.

Of course, on the way back there were some okay opportunities at Red Top Mountain as well.

Play the game of life at Badger Creek Stadium

Just down the road from Badger Creek Park (the impressive Cherokee Impact Soccer complex with a dozen fields, a couple of restrooms, concessions and two pokestops) is an even more impressive park with a strangely weathered sign on the fence that says "Badger Creek Stadium". Here you will find a pokemon gym, a pokestop, an artificial waterfall, and a lush green field with a babbling brook crossed by a covered bridge. 

Unfortunately for all the privileged children and their parents down the street what you will not find is a Badger Creek Stadium or indeed a stadium of any kind. This is the private field of a wedding venue called Rustix Barn (or Rustix Manor), a wedding venue for even more privileged adult children to spend 20 to 40 or a hundred grand getting wed and taking pretty pictures while doing so. The gym is reachable from across the street at a spacious dirt drive which veers right when the road bends left (or turns into South Holly Spring Road, however you want to look at it). 

Plenty of room to park and gym and stay out of the way of both drivers on the road and to that house. The pokestop is reachable separately up the road by a turn off to a blocked drive that is presumably open for weddings. You can park there safely but you have to walk a few steps into the ditch to reach the stop.

It's not the best area in which to play Pokemon Go, but heck, what else are you going to do while the entitled little cretin in your life plays soccer for an hour and a half?

Double pokestop and a triple chili cheese pup: Canton Krystal Burger for lunch

The Canton Krystal Burger is a dream stop. Except that it's a Krystal Burger. There's a silver globe on the outside and a plaque on the inside making it a double pokestop you can reach from the drive-through ,the outdoor seating, half the indoor seating, and some of the parking spots. What's more it's open 24 hours so you don't look like a creeper hanging out there. Sadly, it's fast food so you are in and out too quickly if you eat lunch there resulting in only as many balls as you'd get from a normal sit down restaurant with a single pokestop. The pokemon are largely normal, but also...

I think I'd mentioned a possible double pokestop at the rooftop gorilla before. It's real and confirmed now, but it's only accessible from the Cherokee Closeouts parking lot (not from the church parking lot) and it looks like they lock the parking lot at night with a giant gate and padlock. Nice part of town.

4 Electabuzzes in one lunch at Olde Rope Mill Park plus an update on the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta

Today, I went to food court at the outlet mall and found I didn't give it nearly enough credit, the pokestop is spinnable from at least Little Tokyo, nearly on the opposite corner, so at least half the tables in their must be good places to sit and spin.

I took said lunch to a picnic table at Olde Rope Mill Park, where I dropped a lure I was too far away to benefit from until the walk back to the car. However, I did get one Electabuzz on the way in, one on the way out, and two while I ate lunch, in addition to an Oddish, a Bulbasaur, an Ekans, an Eevee a Clefairy and a Magikarp.

Of course, my trip to JJ Biello Park was reliable as always. Second Magikarp not shown because it is already in my belly! I mean, inventory.