From the lower keys, we headed toward Flagler Beach, over 400 miles and nearly 7 hours away. We didn’t want to drive that far in one day and were very curious to check out Key Largo and John Pennekamp State Park. Our original 2-week reservation there had been reduced to 2 nights, as we had picked up cancellations in the lower keys. We thought we would need 2 nights to check out the area.
Upon arrival at the campground, we really wished we had to stay for only one night. Our campsite was one of the least desireable. It was quite cramped. Our neighbors’ picnic table was about an inch from our sewer access. Our picnic table was similarly located near our other neighbors’ sewer access. We hurried to leave the campground and explore the area. We managed to enjoy a couple of cold oceanside beers.
The next day we had a fun paddle and took advantage of the laundry facilities. I also checked out the aquarium and day use area, which were very busy and crowded with weekenders from the Miami area. The beach area was pretty small. The aquarium is small and sort of old, though my experiences with aquariums includes the Maui Ocean Center and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
There happened to be a full-time RV family in the campground, who was also in both of the lower keys campgrounds at the same time as us. Their smallest boy was about 3 years old and rode a small bicycle with no training wheels continuously, all around each campground, often faster than his older brothers. Fortunately, no one ran over him, as his small size made him very hard to see. We escaped the campground again the second day, for a cold beer and ocean breezes. We don’t plan to return to that park unless we have to, but we did make the most of it.
