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| Jonathon Dickinson State Park, Florida |
Jonathon Dickinson State park in Florida is a fine example of preserved wilderness. We've camped there several times and found the 'gators to be a huge attraction. They nest under a bridge over the inner road. Florida can be hot, but nothing is hotter or scarier than a wildfire.
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| Nesting alligator, can you spot the babies? |
The day of the controlled burn was beautiful, the sky clear with little or no wind. The rangers had to burn the thick brush on the far side of the railroad tracks to prevent a wildfire.
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| Controlled burn across the tracks |
The first hint of a problem came with a cloud of smoke and a ranger advising we get ready to evacuate if the fire kept building in the unexpected and sudden 40 mile an hour wind.
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| Smoke floats over the campground |
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| My Husband, Bill, hurries to pack our equipment |
My husband is no worrywart, but he decided not to wait to see if there was a problem. With years of camping under his belt he had our stuff loaded and the fifth wheel hooked up within ten minutes.
I helped while he also assisted people in the next campsite.
The ranger returned and told us to leave anything left unpacked.
Get out!
Within minutes the flames were jumping from grass tuft to bush to scrub and grass. We drove along the exit road and found the flames devouring the brush right next to us.
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| Campground burning |
We reached the edge of the campground and looked back.
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| Ranger's truck blocks the road back |
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| The fire burned for hours |
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| Sunset against the smoke clouds |
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| Back in scorched campsite |
We were lucky. No embers damaged our roof and we spent the next two nights in the parking lot. When we returned to our campsite it was ashes.
Jonathon Dickinson State park has been rebuilt since the wildfire in 2006 and upgraded since our last visit. We plan to go back soon.
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