The traveling manatees by Nancy French: Jonathan Dickinson State Park and the Everglades

Along the bike trail

A shipwreck, a renowned gator wrestler, and a World War II top-secret radar training school are all part of the history of the 11,500 acre Jonathan Dickinson State Park at Hobe Sound, FL. A group of Quakers was traveling from Jamaica to Pennsylvania in 1696 when their barkentine ship, Reformation, foundered offshore near the current park. Attacked by Indians, the party traveled northward and their harrowing story of survival was recounted in God’s Protecting Providence, written by the group’s leader and the park’s namesake, Jonathan Dickinson.

During WW II, the restricted Camp Murphy was constructed on the scrublands that later became the park. It is said to have housed 6000 personnel with their own power plant, sewage system, and theater. Dismantled in 1944, there is no sign of the former facility.

In the 1930s, Trapper Nelson lived off the land along the Loxahatchee River trapping and selling furs. Following the war, Trapper, aka the ‘Wildman of the Loxahatchee’, built log cabins, a wildlife zoo, and a tropical garden and turned part of his homestead into what became a popular tourist attraction. He handled venomous snakes and wrestled alligators, but folks could also buy souvenirs, rent rowboats, or stay overnight in one of Trapper's cabins. Prior to his death, he had purchased almost 1000 acres and had begun talks with the Florida Park Service to preserve the lands after his demise.

Jonathan Dickinson State Park was founded in 1950, and following Trapper Nelson’s death in 1968, his lands were acquired by the park. Tour boats in the park offer a brief stop at his former homestead as they meander along the Loxahatchee. Though we had taken this tour decades ago, it was not on our agenda for the recent overnight stop at the park’s River Campground. Biking along the trails and roadway of the park filled our visit and provided us with glimpses of gators, hawks, blue herons, gopher turtles, and great white herons during our exploration. Our abbreviated stay was due to reservations we had secured at our next stop, Everglades National Park. Currently, there is limited availability of campsites throughout the Florida Park system and in the Everglades.

Finding 4 nights at two different campgrounds in the Everglades meant molding the rest of our short getaway to those openings. Located just west of Homestead, Long Pine Key Campground provided a dry campsite (no electricity or water). Exploring the area by bike provided minimal wildlife sightings but we did discover panther tracks along a muddy road not far from the campground. On our move to Flamingo Campground, we took the opportunity to put our kayaks in the water at 9 Mile Pond. Strong winds made crossing the water a challenge and entering the pond with a sizable gator sunning 20 feet from our launch area was a bit disconcerting. Our attempts to maneuver through the narrow canoe trails came to a quick end as our paddles, fishing rods, and lines continued to become ensnarled. Fish in the open waters were uncooperative, but Alan did snag one undersized bass that was returned to be caught another day.

The town of Flamingo was established in 1893 and residents included plume hunters, fishermen, and farmers. Remnants of the old pier can still be seen along the waterfront. 49 persons were recorded in the 1910 census for the Flamingo/Cape Sable area. They were doubtless a hardy and sometimes violent breed of settlers. One of the short trails in the park is named for an Audubon warden, Guy Bradley, who was killed in 1905 while trying to protect a bird rockery in Florida Bay. The Park was established in 1947. Having camped in this area decades ago, the mosquitoes, at that time, were a nightmare. I can’t imagine the abundance of this insect in the late 1800s. Thankfully, due to our ‘dry season’ visit, the mosquitoes were not an issue.

One roadside stop, for multiple birds, led us to walk close on both sides of the road to the marshy area where herons, ibis, and roseate spoonbill were clustered. On the first side of the road, an 8-foot gator laid in the foreground. Crossing the street, we were focusing on a large grouping of great white herons in the mangroves. A few seconds later, we glance down to see the granddaddy of gators about 10 feet away. With a girth of over 2 feet, we didn’t stop to try to determine his length. He was not moving, but we were, quickly.

Extensive biking throughout the Flamingo area led to our meeting an Everglades regular. A herpetologist and self-proclaimed “crazy person” who hunts for pythons and venomous snakes in the Glades, and throughout South Florida, enthralled us with his adventures. As an invasive species, the python has no natural predators. For this dangerous work, the hunters are compensated $8.65 an hour plus extra bounties depending on the length of the snake and an added $200. bonus if the python is found guarding eggs.

On our first visit to the marina at Flamingo, a dozen or more manatees swam close to the docks, a crocodile sunned along the bank, and a female osprey sat on eggs in a nest as her partner frequently flew back to bring food. Kayaking and fishing in Florida

Bay provided no fish for our table but the gorgeous day was perfect. White pelicans, herons, ibis, egrets, and gators were spotted as we paddled.

To break up the drive home, we stopped overnight at an equestrian center near Jupiter that provided a sole RV site. Young equestrians provided our entertainment as they worked their horses around the ring.

Before this getaway, our brand new travel trailer had just been returned to us. Repairs had been completed on the heating system that did not work during our trip to Georgia when temperatures had dipped into the low 20s. At the start of this journey, we discovered our refrigerator was not working. We scheduled a repair and took off anyway. The unit is now back in the shop. Hopefully, this will be the last of the issues and we will be back on the road soon.