Day Seventeen- Done (Over 1330 miles)

August 6th-

I just can't seem to get past that halfway mile mark. The bike is acting up all over the place. I'm getting frustrated with having to change the tubes every 40 miles due to one rocky road or misplaced piece of glass.

I woke up this morning ready to fix my tire and get going. I found a hole in the tube and patched it up quite diligently. I put the bike back together and hopped aboard rip roaring ready to go. I pedalled off and heard a slight rub. I realized that the break pad wasn't sitting properly, so I adjusted it. The rubbing sound was the break pad hitting the tire. A soft tear in the tire was the result. I rode another 2o or so feet (bet you were hoping I'd write miles... nope, just feet), when the rub had weakened the tube enough for it to deflate. A little upset that the tire I just patched had to be patched again, I just sat by the side of the road.

I went to call someone to calm me down a little, when my phone gave me this message, "your service has been suspended temporarily. You can still contact Emergency Services by dialing 911. Do not hang up if you would like to connect to customer support." I hung up. Soon I realized that I had two options: talk to 911 about how cruddy my morning started out, or call customer support to switch me back on. I opted for number two, and when the time to pay arose, I tried to pay them with my credit card. For some reason, my credit card which is paid in full (expecially for a trip like this), was no longer acceptable for them to take.

I patched the tire again.

I rode to a gas station nearby and asked where the nearest Walmart, Target, or Verizon store was. Target was closer, so there I went. I bought a new tire (not tube, actually a tire) and attempted a surgical procedure on the bike. The tire didn't fit, so I replace my worn tire (with a dollar bill folded up for support on the weak spot) and returned the largest one they had (which was too small). I tightened the nuts and bolts on the tire and hoped for the best as I asked some of the workers who were on a fifteen minute strike (or break, call it what you want) where the Verizon store was. They pointed me in a direction of the Verizon store right next to the Walmart.

I entered the Verizon store looking forward to paying my bill. The workers there scratched their heads (although they were trying to help) for over an hour when I finally gave up and called my bank. I asked Colleen at Visions Federal CU why they weren't allowing the charge. She explained that they were and that Verizon was playing a morbid game of "give us your money now." I ended up getting my routing number for a check, since I didn't have a check handy, and called the Verizon HQ back with a Electronic check payment. They accepted it! How kind of them! Thank you for making me spend over two hours struggling to give you my money! I left the store triumphantly.

I went to the Walmart and bought another tube, a wrench, and 12 oz of hope. I assumed the tires wouldn't fit (even though the box reads, "fits most 26 inch rims" just like the other one). I tightened up some parts on the bike with my new wrench and headed out at a little after one o'clock; just seven hours after I woke up to ride. I had gone about 5 miles at this point and wanted to get some miles in. I made a couple phone calls, self motivated, and rode.

I passed one place I thought was cool on the way, Linoma. Linoma has a campground area, but is also a beach/fun park (see picture). It is a place where I plan on visiting again in the future when I have less flat tires and more time.

So, I got about sixty mind-numbing miles in when I saw a McDonald's with WiFi and outlets. I stopped an wrote. I wrote like the wind. I wrote until my fingers started to bleed like I was taking tons of tylenol. Well, maybe not that last part. But, I did write until it got dark. That's when I decided to get back on the bike and ride some more.

Just as I sat on the bike, I noticed a flat. I was so sarcastically happy. There is a quaint little motel called the Starlite just a few steps from the restaurant, so I figured it was time to sleep inside and fix all of the world's problems; or maybe just mine. The lady inside ended up giving me a $5 discount, even though they don't do that there.

I plugged in all my electronic devices, took all of the bags off of the bike, took the wheel off, and went to town cleaning and fixing the bike. I was upset, but I realized being upset wasn't helping at all. So, I just laughed and continued. When I was done, I decided it wasn't time to write anymore. I just wanted to sleep.

Daily Lesson: If you don't fix it right, you're surely going to have to fix it again.

As always, feel free to spread the word and donate at http://www.rotary.org/en/endpolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx