Augmented Reality – they call it.  “Explore cities and towns where you live — even around the globe, to capture as many Pokemon as you can find.”  That’s the pitch.

Just about the time when cities are trying to pass laws to ban pedestrians from using their cell phones while crossing the street, Nintendo came up with its record-selling mobile game Pokemon-Go.  The concept was brilliant – if not too well thought out.  ‘Get these Millennials off their duffs and out in the open air as they interact with this cell phone game.’  Sales have gone bonkers, and unfortunately, so have a few people.  Some have become so lost in the game they aren’t paying attention to where they are going.

All sorts of strange incidents have happened: people are running into trees, walking into fences, not to mention several of the more tragic stories.

Before you hit ‘download’, consider this: Have you been to the truly amazing places the world has to offer?  Seriously. Your personal memory bank will hold more data than your Pokedex:

Have you taken your family to Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone National Park?   It erupts every half-hour to two-hours.  Faithfully.  No download required.

The Grand Canyon?   That’s a real life interactive game – from backpacking to pack-rafting, to day hiking.

Stone Mountain Park in Georgia is the largest exposed piece of granite in the world.  This remarkable mound of rock holds a  nine-story carving of General Robert E. Lee.  But size is all relative.  Only one-third of the mountain is exposed, and the rest is ten miles below ground.      If you want more ‘theme-park activity’, you’ve come to the right place.

No doubt, the Hirn boys will be begging for Pokemon-Go.  But as a group, the Hirn family recommends Adventure With Engagement.  (Engagement with your family beats the socks off Augmented Reality.)   The graphics on your phone just don’t match up to some of the sites we saw: The Tunnel of Love in the Ukraine, the tulip fields in Netherlands;  Mendenhall Ice Caves in Juneau, Alaska; Red Beach in Panjin, China; the Bamboo Forest in Japan,  or Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Take the opportunity to travel, to see first-hand the wonders of the world with those you love.   Nothing you can capture can match those long term memories.

Including Pikachu.

Dawn