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Vol. 1 - Florida & Southeast 11/08
Vol. 2 - the Southwest 11/09
Day 26, Camp 11 - John Penecamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo, FL
Posted 12-25-2008 at 02:11 PM by Phantom
2008/12/07
Day 26, Camp 11 (7 nights @ $8.50 per nite)
John Penecamp Coral Reef State Park
Key Largo, FL
ALL PHOTOS RELATED TO THIS BLOG
ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEW AT:
Picasa Web Albums - Phantom
After resting 2 nights with Donna's sister & brother-in-law, Sandy & Benny, at their home, we set out to camp with them in their 5th wheel trailer in the Florida Keys. Thus, this portion of our adventure will be slightly different, being as we are not camping in our dear Bambi, The Silver Jellybean.
Dec. 7 ~ 14
We drove down to Key Largo and set up camp in John Penecamp Coral Reef State Park. The campground had about 47 sites, laid out on both sides of one road. It was full every night and reservations are pretty much a must. Sites are close together with only some small bushes separating. An 'Intruder' was camped next to us and we had a lovely view of its flank for the entire 7 day stay, (see the pic on web album).
The visitor center has a great museum with a 30,000 gallon saltwater aquarium which is very nice. The store is nice and dive & snorkeling trips can be scheduled, motor boat, canoe & kayak rentals can be made at the divemaster.
I went out snorkeling on the dive boat one day.
Unfortunately, the winds were 24 mph and the visibility a mere 8 to 10 feet (normally 30 to 40!). Sadly, they don't tell you this until you're on the boat ready to go. Seas were 3-5 feet on the way out to the reef... making for a very rough ride. We went to an exposed reef which helped to cut down on the waves... maybe down to 1-1 1/2 feet with larger swells and strong currents. All-in-all, not what the captain called 'a chamber-of-commerce' day. Still, I had a blast and saw 3 barracuda, 3 jellyfish, corals and 2 conch in the sea grass. It's an amazing world to be floating in. Water was 75º.
Another day we drove down to Islamorada and back. Took in the tourist sites along the way, stopped at a couple neat stores. The Wild Bird Park was well-forth the stop. The people there are doing a great job of rehabilitating injured birds. Neat place.
Perhaps the best side-trip, was driving off Hwy 1 into the 'Key Deer National Refuge' on Big Pine Key. I would highly recommend this side trip. The deer are a mere 24" to 30" high at the shoulder. They walk out onto the road and care must be taken! We also found the 'No-Name-Bar' just before the bridge onto 'No-Name-Key' and had a great pizza and a neat touch of local flavor. The entire inside of the place... walls and ceiling... are covered with around $100,000 in personalized dollar bills!
Another day we visited the 'Blue Hole' on Big Pine Key, same area as the Key Deer Refuge. An interesting area with several nature trails. Recommended.
Another day we stopped at Anne's beach on Lower Matecumbe Key... a lovely public beach with boardwalk and picnic areas stretched out along the ocean. Also visited Harry Harris County Park on Key Largo and the site of the filming of the 'African Queen'.
One folder of pics on the Picasa Album Web site is 'Key Road Impressions'. These are images gathered out the window while driving Hwy 1 down the Keys and back and forth. These are meant as 'impressions' and not as fine images, art, etc. They are made to be views quickly, rather like an old flip book. (Although there are some interesting details of serendipity worth note). They were captured at between 35 and 60 mph. They should be viewed in that context.
The Keys are an amazing ecological area... with a rich an fascinating history, also, in my opinion, rather sadly over-built, touristy and expensive. Still, a lot of fun...
Day 26, Camp 11 (7 nights @ $8.50 per nite)
John Penecamp Coral Reef State Park
Key Largo, FL
ALL PHOTOS RELATED TO THIS BLOG
ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEW AT:
Picasa Web Albums - Phantom
After resting 2 nights with Donna's sister & brother-in-law, Sandy & Benny, at their home, we set out to camp with them in their 5th wheel trailer in the Florida Keys. Thus, this portion of our adventure will be slightly different, being as we are not camping in our dear Bambi, The Silver Jellybean.
Dec. 7 ~ 14
We drove down to Key Largo and set up camp in John Penecamp Coral Reef State Park. The campground had about 47 sites, laid out on both sides of one road. It was full every night and reservations are pretty much a must. Sites are close together with only some small bushes separating. An 'Intruder' was camped next to us and we had a lovely view of its flank for the entire 7 day stay, (see the pic on web album).
The visitor center has a great museum with a 30,000 gallon saltwater aquarium which is very nice. The store is nice and dive & snorkeling trips can be scheduled, motor boat, canoe & kayak rentals can be made at the divemaster.
I went out snorkeling on the dive boat one day.
Unfortunately, the winds were 24 mph and the visibility a mere 8 to 10 feet (normally 30 to 40!). Sadly, they don't tell you this until you're on the boat ready to go. Seas were 3-5 feet on the way out to the reef... making for a very rough ride. We went to an exposed reef which helped to cut down on the waves... maybe down to 1-1 1/2 feet with larger swells and strong currents. All-in-all, not what the captain called 'a chamber-of-commerce' day. Still, I had a blast and saw 3 barracuda, 3 jellyfish, corals and 2 conch in the sea grass. It's an amazing world to be floating in. Water was 75º.
Another day we drove down to Islamorada and back. Took in the tourist sites along the way, stopped at a couple neat stores. The Wild Bird Park was well-forth the stop. The people there are doing a great job of rehabilitating injured birds. Neat place.
Perhaps the best side-trip, was driving off Hwy 1 into the 'Key Deer National Refuge' on Big Pine Key. I would highly recommend this side trip. The deer are a mere 24" to 30" high at the shoulder. They walk out onto the road and care must be taken! We also found the 'No-Name-Bar' just before the bridge onto 'No-Name-Key' and had a great pizza and a neat touch of local flavor. The entire inside of the place... walls and ceiling... are covered with around $100,000 in personalized dollar bills!
Another day we visited the 'Blue Hole' on Big Pine Key, same area as the Key Deer Refuge. An interesting area with several nature trails. Recommended.
Another day we stopped at Anne's beach on Lower Matecumbe Key... a lovely public beach with boardwalk and picnic areas stretched out along the ocean. Also visited Harry Harris County Park on Key Largo and the site of the filming of the 'African Queen'.
One folder of pics on the Picasa Album Web site is 'Key Road Impressions'. These are images gathered out the window while driving Hwy 1 down the Keys and back and forth. These are meant as 'impressions' and not as fine images, art, etc. They are made to be views quickly, rather like an old flip book. (Although there are some interesting details of serendipity worth note). They were captured at between 35 and 60 mph. They should be viewed in that context.
The Keys are an amazing ecological area... with a rich an fascinating history, also, in my opinion, rather sadly over-built, touristy and expensive. Still, a lot of fun...
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