Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

Being that South Florida was still covered in a blanket of smoke this morning, J and I decided to go and have a look at the lighthouse, rather than try and spot any wildlife on a State park, as has become our usual weekend habit.

We paid our fee, and followed our tour guide to the lighthouse. (It’s on coast guard residential property, so you can’t just wander up to it on your own.) J opted to not climb to the top, and waited for me downstairs. Actually, truth be told, he got about a quarter of the way up before he decided that the stairs were too scary, and went back down again. Bless his heart. lol

The view at the top was well worth the red face I had when I got there. Even through all the smoke, it was pretty darn cool.

I grew up in Jupiter, Florida. It was a weird place to grow up. Everyone was white. I used to skip school and smoke cigarettes at Burger King and I considered eating spaghetti at the Kmart Restaurant with my best friend Michele “fine dining”. That’s the sort of community/cultural activites Jupiter had to offer in the eighties. Don’t get me wrong, the lighthouse is unique and it was nice to grow up in a town on the ocean. Until I turned 12 and started wearing all black with white face powder and red liptstick that is. I liked it better when I was a kid, there were a lot of trees and one grocery store called Big Dollar. Now it looks like a big minimall explosion. Except Tequesta, the village across the bridge, they have a ban on fast food restaurants which is nice. A lot of famous sports players live in mansions on Jupiter Island, we used to drive around there in our 1980 white toyata celica to see how the “other half” lived. If you visit, be sure to drive down A1A to see beautiful views of the ocean and stop into the Jupiter Lighthouse Diner for a grilled cheese and some soggy fries. A bit further down the street is Jonathan Dickinson State Park where you can see alligators in their natural habitat.

I had passed through on US 1 several times on my way to Jonathan Dickinson State Park but had never been able to photograph it properly. Today was the type of day that we Floridians stick around for the entire year; it was beautiful. When we crossed the bridge over Jupiter Inlet the water was a hundred hues of turquoise and blue, and the lighthouse stood scarlet and proud on its bright green hill. I’m really happy I went out today. We saw a glorious blue crane at the park, but no pictures, they are scared away very easily by the slightest noise or movement on the river.