Just When Things Were Going So Well….

We were having a fantastic ride today on our way to Pensacola.  The weather was perfect and the roads and scenery inspiring.  Around lunchtime we pulled into 'The Gibson Inn http://www.gibsoninn.com a lovely old Floridian hotel built in 1907 in the historic town of Apalachicola.  However, the restaurant was closed and so was the bar! The receptionist was kind enough to allow us to sit on their veranda and relax in their rocking chairs, have one of my cigars and help ourselves to their free coffee.  We could see the towns courthouse across the street and as we sat watching the world go by a sheriff's departments bus full of prisoners turned up.  Under armed guard about 10 - 12 came off the bus all locked in ankle and wrist chains and dressed in bright orange boiler/jump suits and just one woman dressed in a black and white horizontal striped prisoner suit.  It was like something out of the film 'Shawshank Redemption.

After making a phone call home and finishing my cigar we continued our journey westward.

Two hours further down the road we stopped for a coffee Starbucks in Miramar Beach on Emerald Coast Parkway (HWY 98).  It's becoming a practice now that I explain to the barister how to make a 'Flat-White.'  The equal measures of steamed full fat milk and espresso coffee were made perfect for us.  Jon wanted to use the US mobile phone we have so I went to get it out of my bike pannier and that's when it all went horribly wrong!  No phone!  In fact no two phones! - The Pay As You Go we purchased in Orlando and my iPhone 5.  Now for anyone thats ever lost their smart phone you'll know it makes you feel nauseous and your heart rate goes into overdrive, mine being accelerated further by the quadruple espresso!  It's made worse when you are visitor in a foreign country, you feel like it's your lifeline gone.  I wasn't really too concerned about the US PAYG phone but it was my iPhone 5 which carries all 'my life' in it.  I had no real idea how I could have lost them.  They both go into a protective hard case when on the bike and into the pannier.  I thought I may dropped them at a fuel stop somewhere, or possibly left them on the veranda of The Gibson Inn.  We called the hotel on Jon's UK Phone and like the good news of your first born child, the receptionist Cynthia confirmed they had been handed in by a guest - the only problem was we were now 106 miles away!  So we got back on the bikes and 2 hours later I was reunited with my 'life support systems.'    It was late by now, so we decided to stay in Apalachicola for the night and fortunately for us The Gibson Inn had a twin room left.  After all the stress we needed a comforting meal and a few beers and a fine bottle of red wine which was perfectly supplied by 'The Owl Cafe' http://www.owlcafeflorida.com