Early to bed and early to rise. I slept well and was awake by 7:00; the alarm went off at 7:30. I had camp broken down and was packed by 8:30 and at the Waffle House 1-1/2 miles down the road by 8:40, ready to eat.
The Waffle House is one of my more favorite breakfast places when touring (or otherwise on the road). They are always friendly, have a good basic breakfast (eggs and hash browns), and know how to make it. This one was particularly impressive, as they had at least 14 employees on board when I walked in. Fortunately, I beat the morning rush by about 30 minutes. And I was done with breakfast by 9:30 and on the road again.
I had forgotten what a nice ride it is from Key Largo to Marathon. There are many places I wouldn't mind lingering at in between. I had checked out alternate campsites, but none were convenient to food sources (i.e., restaurants!). But the Knight's Key Campground is next door to the Sunset Bar and Grill, which is well worth beating a path to, and I did. Not on purpose per se, but I was headed southwest, and the wind was from the east so I had an excellent tailwind. I was in camp by 1:45 or so, averaging 13.8 mph! Not bad for a 55.0-mile jaunt!
So rather than drone on too much, I'll annotate this with pictures and captions. I took a pic at every crossing and pics along the way when the route seemed to call for one!
The Key Largo part of the trail is the nicest section. It's in good condition and well shaded if traveling in the morning, as it is located on the south side of US 1.
There is a parallel road to US1 on Plantation Key that is worth diverting to. I believe it follows the "old" road (as one store was named Old Road something or other). Most of it passes through a residential neighborhood well-separated from the main highway.
