Bike Shops, ATMs, and Pizza

When I arrived in Greenville yesterday, the original plan was to spend the night at Njeri’s and get back on the road this morning. However, if I’ve learned anything from this trip it’s that plans change. And plans changed. Njeri has been kind enough to let me stay an extra night which allowed me to spend the day taking care a few things – some new things, and some things that should’ve been dealt with a while ago.

First on the list? A bike shop. I didn’t have high hopes for this part of the day. While I didn’t anticipate any problems finding a bike shop, I did anticipate not having any luck diagnosing the issue with my rear wheel. The wheel is currently spinning without issue which creates the problem much like that of taking your car into the mechanic only to have the problem go away. They can’t fix what doesn’t appear to be broken. This pretty much played out the way I expected. On the upside, I did get my brakes adjusted and new tubes for any more flat tires that come my way. Despite the lack of success in diagnosing the wheel issue, Andrew at Bicycle Post was very helpful and knowledgeable.

Next on the list? Convincing an ATM to allow me to withdraw money with my Canadian bank card. As I mentioned a few days ago, my recent attempts to make such a withdrawal were met with failure. This obviously could present a bit of a problem because most places I’ve been expect payment for services. Such a nuisance! Anyway, on my way to the bike shop I made another attempt at a Bank of America ATM. The result was the same. So, while waiting for my bike to get repaired, I did something for the first time on this trip – I used my phone to make a call. This may not sound like a big deal but I tend to avoid using cell phones. Side note, I should point out that the only reason I could actually make said call is because of Jack back in Philly. He spent an hour dealing with AT&T to get my phone on a plan that would work in the U.S. As he pointed out, I owe him an hour of his time. I’m not going to lie, that could take a while to pay back but I’m working on it. For now, I’ll just say thanks. Again.

So, my initial call (yes, that’s right – initial call – you didn’t think this would be easy, did you?) was met with what I thought was success. I only waited on hold for five minutes and the guy I spoke with seemed to address the issue. Of course, not being at an ATM at that particular moment made it impossible to know for sure. So, with my newly repaired bike, I returned to the Bank of America ATM where my attempts to withdraw cash were again denied. Sigh. Armed with my cell phone, I made my second call of the day. This time the woman I was speaking with wanted to know what error message I was getting. I told her and she put me on hold briefly to contact Operations. About a minute later she returned to the line and asked me to try again. Card in. PIN entered. Cash Requested. Pause. Pause. Pause. Gurgling sound. Latch opening. Cash dispensing! Woohoo! And yes, I actually said all of that to the woman as it was happening. She seemed amused. I thanked her and wished her well. All things considered, that went better than I expected.

With fresh cash in my wallet, I decided I would celebrate with some lunch. And, with a Little Caesars nearby, I thought this would be a perfect chance to redeem Julie-Ann’s first pizza donation! Thanks Julie-Ann! And, once again, I ate the whole thing.

With lunch taken care of, I returned to Njeri’s to plot my course for the next couple of days. I’m still not sure which route I’ll be taking. I’m once again trying to arrange accommodations through WarmShowers.org but as yet have not been successful. I did manage to locate a campground along the way to the coast so that’s my current backup plan.

Other than bike issues, my biggest concern for tomorrow is the weather. The forecast is currently calling for thunderstorms and strong winds – and this time the winds will not be in my favour. I had a bit of a taste of that today on my travels as the wind tossed me around. And that was without all the bags (ie. sails) on my bike.

Tomorrow will likely be slow.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 21.72 km
Time on bike: 1:01:26
Maximum speed: 34.46 km/h
Average speed: 21.21 km/h