DINNER WITH KATIE

Our first Visitor Center stop as we entered Florida made us aware that Florida has toll roads. We just had no idea how many toll roads! We read all the options and for $5 we purchased a Sun Pass in Publix (a very nice Florida grocery chain). We set up an account on-line and loaded the SunPass with $10 and opted to replenish it every time the balance dropped below $10. Silly girls! Florida has monetized its highway system. The only direct routes anywhere seem to come loaded with tolls. 

Mini Sun Pass at the grocery store checkout. You stick it on your windshield near the rear-view mirror.

It wasn't easy to say goodbye to the Keys but we looked forward to our first Florida State Park. Jonathan Dickinson State Park is on the coast above Palm Beach Gardens, where Linda's niece Katie lives. We wanted to visit with her.

Our campsite at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. It was small but nice.

Katie, Linda's niece in the only picture we got of her.

Sweet Potato Crusted Fish for Linda. Katie had us meet her at Food Shack in Jupiter. It was a perfect choice and we wished we could stay and go back another night.

Carole had Grilled Salmon on Polenta. We aren't having much luck ordering craft beers in Florida, so she had a Stella.

We took a walk in the morning to the river.

Loxahatchee River.

We watched a pair of Ospreys building this nest.

Try as she might, Linda could only manage to get one night here. The parks are full of snowbirds, many of whom have made reservations a year in advance. Winter in Florida is just a routine part of some people's schedule. Since we had an appointment in Lakeland to have Bigfoot of Florida service our levelers, we looked in that direction for a nice park in which to spend a couple of days.