Jonathan Dickinson - The Cabin Visit

Pre-pandemic we had made a reservation to stay at a cabin in Jonathan Dickinson State Park and we were really looking forward to it. Along with many other activities, that visit was cancelled. However, we waited patiently and eventually were able to reschedule it. One of the post-pandemic changes was a two-night minimum stay, instead of just a single night. (They also keep 24-hour breaks between guests.) There were no weekend nights available for the foreseeable future - lots of other people had to reschedule! Fortunately, that's no longer a constraint for us. Knowing that the visitor's center was only open Friday to Monday, we selected a Monday to Wednesday stay. (Two months later when we actually went, the visitor's center was back to normal hours, but the boat tours were still only on the weekend.)

Check-in time wasn't until late afternoon, but because we wanted to "do" the visitor's center, we arrived early. Wayne was able to read every display and we watched the final three movies. These were a 3-part series on the history of the Florida state parks; a new addition to the list since we watched the first one several years ago.

I even know where to go now to identify the wild flowers we discover on our local hikes.

When we made the reservations online, the website had the cabins located near the Pine Grove Campground, and not the River Campground. That was a disappointment. Consequently, we were delighted to discover that they hadn't moved the cabins at all - they were still within walking distance of the river. The programmers of the new state park reservation website made a mistake, and the local employees weren't having any success in getting it corrected.

The park has about ten cabins, most of which sleep 4 and a couple that sleep 6. Since they're the same cost, we rented a larger one, and it was quite nice indeed. We particularly liked the covered outdoor porch. 

Inside was nice and compact, very basic but with all the necessities.

We did have to make our own beds; I don't know if that was the case pre-COVID19. However, all the linens were supplied. It wasn't nearly has fancy has our last little staycation, but the price reflected that as well. The sunrises and sunsets here were just as gorgeous. Isn't it nice that the beauties of nature don't cost anything?

Still on the list of things to do at this state park was swimming in the river. That was on the plan for this trip, but, unfortunately, the swimming area had a "closed" sign hung across it. I guess we should have gone swimming on a previous trip. Maybe we'll go back, maybe not. I wonder if there have been alligator sitings in the area?

Instead of swimming, we sat on the porch and read. So relaxing and peaceful!

Weston and his boys came for barbecued hamburgers and s'mores. It turned out to be perfect timing to get them out of the house during Megan's book club meeting at home. 

Thanks to "Scoutmaster's Helper" the fire started with one match (or one flick of the lighter) and we enjoyed our time around the campfire. One of the advantages of being home-schooled is the ability to personalize and adjust your schedule. The older boys spent the night with us in the cabin, we had a relaxing breakfast, and then left in time to drop Wyatt off at his mid-morning "environmental stewardship" lab at the River Center in Jupiter. Doesn't that sound like fun! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful little vacation.