Pokemon Go! Go! Go!

I resisted the lure of Pokemon Go as long as I could, but once we were on vacation I succumbed and downloaded it to my phone.  Now, before you snicker, let me tell you that I have seen it work miracles.  It got my Cory out of the basement and walking for 4 days in a row after it was released.  Something I have been trying to get him to do for years with no success.  Exercise and sunshine were on his to-do list from his doctors for his bipolar from the start, but it took Nintendo to make it happen.

I thought it would be something fun for us to share on our vacation together, and I'm in danger of becoming an addict in just a few short days.  Not only is there the instant gratification of "I got one!" but you get prizes and the thrill of hatching eggs to boot.  An unexpected bonus is now I like walking in the city because that's where the most stuff is to be found.

When we get back home I now can walk around town, and the next town, and the next town, and never be bored again.  Much like geocaching, our walking took us places we wouldn't maybe have normally gone and we got to see things we might have missed driving by in the car.

We walked right down the main highway into downtown Estes Park, collecting Pokeballs, potions, and battling Pokemon along the way.

Once in town we did detour into a couple of shops, and even dropped a few dollars.  Pokemon helps the local economy!

Cory got a jellyfish doo-dad to add to his knick knack shelf, and I bought a t-shirt and pajama pants. We were tempted by more, but restrained ourselves.  Besides, we were too busy looking for Ponyta and Haunters.

And we found this little shop that was funny to me considering our bipolar world.

I did think about buying this frog holding the umbrella, but felt $165 was a little steep, besides where would he fit in our toy hauler?  Not the kind of toy Wayne envisioned toting around the country.

The only time we ate out was at Antonio's pizza which was pretty good, a wonderful surprise since most often we are disappointed in any pizza that is more than a day's drive from Chicago.

In the parking lot we collected more Pokeballs at the "stop" by the elk statue.

I also collected a picture of some real elk in the river just behind the bronze elk.  A little irony to go with our pizza and Pokemon.

Yes, Pokemon Go is dangerous if you don't watch where you're walking or try to play while driving, but I'm sure we're not the only family benefiting from its positive influence.  Parents can get their young kids outside, and in our family we have something to talk about besides doctors appointments and pill reminders!