The Florida Curse

All Goes Wrong On Getting To Cocoa Beach

So my plan up until I got to Orlando Megacon was to hang out on beaches. It seemed fun. I appreciated being in a spot where I could enjoy the sand for the first time while the rest of the country needed to thaw out. I was fortunate in my fate.

Maybe I said things too loud. Maybe I was ungrateful enough. I don’t know, but on Satelite Beach, it all began to go wrong.

My plan while I counted down the days to Orlando Megacon was to hang at the beach, hopefully catch some waves, and sleep on the sand one beach at a time. I made the decision not to go to Miami because of the con. I wasn’t sure I’d make it back in time and I made a commitment. This way I can eventually head to Titusville and catch the bus all the way to Orlando on time for the convention. That was my master plan.

That didn’t sound so bad did it. If luck was on my side, I could conserve what money I had, and take the time to enjoy this corner of Florida. How bad could it be?

At first, not terrible. Satelite Beach was nice. I discovered a few things about sand while i was laying on the beach. Sand and Glitter are part of the same family in the universe. They have a lot in common. For starters they get everywhere. I couldn’t believe the dirt that somehow found its way into my tent in spite of my best efforts. Sand goes everywhere man, and much like glitter, it never entirely goes away, no matter what you do.

The big difference between sand and glitter besides how sparkly glitter is, is the coldness. At night the sand gets cold. It’s amazing to feel it in the night as you find yourself sleeping. That and how hard Sand is. Sand hit me harder than some grassy areas and cement (more on that later), as I slept. But the stars man, were worth it.

You can look in the stars at night. I’ve always loved that. Stars make me think about how big the world is, and how small am I. Once upon a time that would have terrified me. But honestly? I don’t mind being small. I’m still in the same universe as the stars and part of the same mystery.

That’s cool.

The next day my phone died. Sand and glitter had the special gift of getting in. I didn’t realize it until I went to the restaurant across the street. When I went to charge the phone I couldn’t. The plug wouldn’t go in. It turned out that the phone had been covered and crushed between my ass and the sand. It couldn’t charge. It worked for a brief time and then disappeared.

If that was the only trouble that would be bad enough, but it got worse. The wheel from the new luggage while I walked from Satelite to Cocoa Beach disintegrated on the cement. I watched the rubber come off, little by little, and suddenly I was hearing a screech at the bottom of my bag. I had a three legged suitcase. Maybe I hit a bump? I don’t know, but that too was awful.

I made it to Cocoa Beach and assessed the damage from McDonalds. It seemed alright otherwise. How much worse could it get?

I found out that night when I took out my tent for Cocoa Beach. Somehow between Satelite Beach when I put my tent away and when I walked through the day, the exo skeleton disappeared. I don’t have a clue what happened. I still think it’s one of the great mysteries of the trip. What happened to that damn exo? What I do know was that I no longer had a tent to shelter me from the elements.

Bad stuff.

But wait, there’s more.

Two hours later, a flashlight hit me right in the eyes and I was awakened to the sight of two cops. They were nice enough, asking me what I was doing here, and who I was. When I pointed out that I was a backpacker from Canada, they told me about the laws in Florida about not being allowed to sleep on a beach. Keep in mind, I had already slept on a beach while I was here. They were nice enough to explain the law, being that I was a guest, and told me where I had to go to sleep. I didn’t feel like walking four miles.

Instead, I found a space that was just off the road and hidden behind the tree line. So here’s a secret for sleeping outside if you find yourself in that situation. Do it in plain sight. People really don’t care what you do. In fact, if you give them a reason, they’ll ignore you. So put yourself in a spot that blends into the background. The other major rule is that make sure that you’re gone by sunrise. No one cares if you’re not there.

My beach plan? Gone. My tent? Gone. My phone? Destroyed? My luggage? Crippled. What a day.

And on top of that, my cough came back…

Thanks for reading. Pictures will be back when I get my next bit of money, however I can. I hope you enjoy the story. I come out of the other side of this. I promise. Take care.