When we initially headed to Florida, I researched the most beautiful places to visit. I had them mapped out, planning to work our way around the perimeter of Florida, first down the Gulf Coast and then back up the Atlantic Coast. Unfortunately, our decision to stay in Florida derailed that plan for a while. One of the spots I wanted to visit was Blowing Rocks Preserve in Hobe Sound on the Atlantic Coast just north of Palm Beach.
Our first attempt was on Christmas weekend. We planned to take a trip the day after Christmas but learned that the Preserve was closed for the holiday. We made another attempt in February, but the campground was full. Finally, I was able to get reservations for our anniversary weekend but then had the opportunity to see a show. We were able to change our reservations, finally making it there in May.

Jonathan Dickinson State Park

When we arrived at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, we followed the road to our campsite through the largest state park in southeast Florida. Later, we were happy we had done so, as the site was challenging to find in the dark. Even after scoping it out, we still walked into the wrong campsite.

On the way in, we spotted a tower. Thinking it might be an excellent spot to watch the Blood Moon lunar eclipse scheduled that evening, we stopped at the lookout on our way out for dinner. Hobe Mountain, as it is called, is the highest point in southeastern Florida. After all our hiking in the mountains, we couldn’t help but laugh at the sign indicating it was a ten-minute hike. We learned the tower is closed after dark, and we would not see the eclipse from the vantage point.

We made our way south to fill up on gas and have dinner. There were several Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in the area. After looking at the menus, we quickly went with The Butcher Shop Beer Garden & Grill. It was a great choice.

The beautiful full moon rose over the water as we headed back to the campground. It was spectacular. I was happy the storm had passed, leaving us with clear skies for nature’s upcoming show. We passed a lighthouse engulfed in light as we drove by the entrance to Jupiter Island. It was stunning, and I was disappointed we couldn’t stop for a photo.

After a bit of trouble finding our campsite in the dark, we finally settled into our chairs to await the eclipse. The people directly behind us had blue lights around their tent. Unfortunately, while we used bug spray to ward off the mosquitoes, the lights attracted other bugs that kept landing on us. The bugs were annoying but seemed otherwise harmless. I flicked them off with no problem. Chris made the mistake of smacking them. As it turns out, the creatures were blister beetles. Chris ended up with multiple blisters from the insect’s defensive secretion.

Flower Blood Moon Eclipse

As we waited for the eclipse, the sky again filled with cloud cover. We caught glimpses of the moon through the clouds, but not enough to see the eclipse. We decided to call it a night and walked to the restroom before retiring.

To our surprise, when we returned, the clouds had, for the most part, disappeared. The moon was about 2/3 covered in shadow. Our neighbors on the other side were enjoying the spectacle as well. So we went to their campsite, shared some Jameson with them, and watched the rest of the show. With the people in the blue-light tent blasting their tv, I didn’t feel at all bad about howling at the moon.

Blowing Rocks Preserve

We arose early in the morning. We wanted to get to Blowing Rocks Preserve in time for high tide at 9:30. We stopped at a diner for a quick breakfast. I enjoyed the curly-tailed lizards we saw in the parking lot.

We made it to the Preserve just before they opened at 9 am. Once the gate opened, we parked and headed to the beach. We walked through the sea grapes and came out on the beach. To the left, the beach is restricted from umbrellas to preserve the turtle nesting grounds.
To the right, we could see the Anastasia limestone on the shore.

The rocks were not nearly as tall as I had imagined, but as we drew closer, I could see their mystic beauty. Anastasia rocks are generally found underground in caverns, making their presence above ground on the beach all the more special.

The water was a beautiful shade of blue-green. We enjoyed watching the playful birds as we walked down the beach. While we didn’t see any turtles, we found evidence of their presence in a turtle slide leading to holes in the sand.

As we approached the Anastasia limestone outcroppings, I realized they were taller than they had first appeared. We chose to go at high tide for the best chance of seeing the waves shoot up through the rocks. During rough seas at high tide, primarily in the winter, the water sprays 50 feet into the air. The sea was calm during our visit, but we enjoyed the stunning display as the waves crashed against the rocks. It was a magical scene and well worth the trip.

Cost for trip – gas $87, camping $35.69, tolls $13.08.