First Impressions

Our next stop and our very first Florida State Park was called Jonathan Dickinson. Jonathan Dickinson was sandwiched between Stuart and Palm Beach on the East Coast. We had spent a month in Stuart before leaving for the Bahamas via the Palm Beach inlet on our sailboat in 2003. We were looking forward to exploring some of our old haunts.

Late in the afternoon, we motored down Highway 1 and watched as the landscape changed to one of desolation. Bare tree trunks and scrub brush was everywhere. We arrived at the State Park gates and there was our future home for the next week. We had been warned that there was no shade as the area had been blasted by 3 hurricanes and a controlled burn gone wild since 2003. It still looked desolate and our hearts sank.

However once in and settled at the park, it was amazing. There was an interesting hiking path to explore the habitat.

We got to see our first, honest to gosh, in the wild, alligator – the first of many so far.

Of course, I kept the escape path clear for Karen to take the picture.

We (me) even managed to explore the roof of our trailer and install a high powered cooling fan.

There was a tour boat ride up the Loxahatchee River – the tour boat was named the African Queen – there was no way I was going out to push. The salt water portion of the river was banked with mangroves.

And the occasional turtle or two or three ...

... with a sleepy alligator thrown in for good measure.

We docked for a short tour of Trapper Nelson's Interpretive site. Trapper Nelson settled in this camp in 1936 and became known as the “wild man” of the Loxahatchee. During his lifetime he built a wildlife zoo and became a local legend.

Next on the agenda was a hike up Hobie Mountain. We drove to the base camp at the foot of the stairway up the mountain, armed with full water bottles, lunch and hiking boots.

We successfully made the assault in one day. From the dizzying height of 86 feet above sea level, we gazed out towards the East. There before us was the Intracoastal Waterway, Burt Reynold's home (which is apparently for sale), the Atlantic and the Bahamas.

And to the west, we saw Florida --- it sure was flat!

So despite of our first impression, Jonathan Dickinson was a great park to visit and a good introduction to Florida State Parks. Our pictures don't show the wonderful profusion of wild flowers this park also had to offer. Next stop - Collier Seminole State Park in the heart of the everglades