Day 7 - 6 by bike, 120 by car (422)

Day 7 (Lake Okeechobee to Kissimmee).png

Last night, being out on my peninsula to nowhere, I didn't have a place to charge my phone. I decided to simply turn it off and get up early to charge it. There was no sense in stumbling into an alligator after dark.  I awoke this morning with this plan firmly in mind. I broke down camp, rode to a gazebo in the middle of the campsite that had a power outlet. I plugged my phone in, began eating breakfast, and quickly washed up. After a few minutes I leaned over to my phone to check my route for the day, eager to get cycling. I clicked the power button and turned it on. 

I began fiddling around with the maps, looking for a place to stop for lunch or even a quick nap when I noticed something: my phone wasn't charging. Huh. I reached over with my other hand and began my form of Cro-Magnon maintenance: jiggling and pushing on the end of the charging cord hoping to make some form of contact. with something My luck isn't that good. I couldn't charge my phone at all and I was so off my original route that my maps were useless.

I suddenly felt very lost and very alone. My phone was my map, gps, communication tool, entertainment, and main work tool. Outside of Kona, my cell phone was my most important tool for this trip. Now, it was nothing more than an expensive brick of plastic, silicone, and glass. I sat for a second, confused and lost. Some local campers walked by heading towards the showers to begin their day. I asked them what direction to the nearest phone store. They politely gave me directions and asked me about my bike and the phone. I explained my situation and they congratulated me on tackling this big trip and wished me luck as they sauntered off. I quickly pedaled off, reminded I could rely on strangers friendliness to help me get through this minor speed bump. 

I waited in a nearby park, lounging in some grass, until the phone store opened up well into the early-afternoon. Once open, I went inside and asked the lady behind the counter if I could borrow her computer and phone. I quickly explained my situation, pointed to my bloated bike, and told her I understood if she couldn't. She, fortunately, had no problem with it. I had the foresight to save my phone contacts, photos, and maps to my Google Drive. I called up my friend that lived in the area and asked for some help. As I was waiting for her to pick up and I looked up where my nearest phone carrier store was. I was, unfortunately, not in my carrier's store. The nearest store was sixty miles to my East and South, the complete opposite direction of where I was going. I began to feel as if today was going to be a wash and I'd have to improvise a plan to continue. My friend, finally picked up.

I explained the situation to her. I was hoping she had some local knowledge or a place she could point me to to set up for the night. Instead she told me to sit tight and wait for her to get off work in a few hours. She said she had no problem coming down, picking me up, and whisking me up to her place so I could get my phone situation cleared up. In this moment of frustration and isolation, she was offering a helping hand. I waited in a McDonald's for her to come pick me up, I thanked my stars for a friend so genuine as Anita.

When she arrived, I was sure to give her the biggest hug in appreciation. I loaded up my bike and we headed off in the night, back towards Kissimee. We traded stories and quickly caught back up on the time we had missed since we both began our adventures into adulthood. Those years of minimal communication melted away and it felt like we were once again two teenagers driving into the night talking about nothing somewhere in the back-roads of Michigan. Once we arrived I unloaded my bike and Anita offered up some beers. Tomorrow, my friend's roommate graciously agreed to take me into town where I could get something done about my phone. After a few beers, we headed off to sleep. I was thankful I would have a full day off from cycling.
 

*Quick note on my mileage from this point forward. When I first wrote this blog post back the day it happened (March 5, 2017) I added the car mileage in for the day, and continued with that total number going forward (no clue why). That means there are over 100 days of me referencing mileage that is technically 179 miles off. Additionally, this is the only point in the trip that I count any "mechanical miles." So, I'm going to leave the mileage as I originally wrote it and not fix it just for simplicity sake on my end.