I recently camped at Reed Bingham State Park in Adel, Georgia.

This was my first time camping at Reed Bingham and it’s definitely on my list of places to stay again!

It was cold, rainy and dreary most of the 4 days I was there but I still have a story to tell…

Losing My Internet

I arrived at Reed Bingham State Park on Monday with a check-out day of Friday.

I had plenty of time to make weekend plans but, before I knew it… Thursday rolled around and I still had no plan.

On Thursday morning, I worked on my online business (which is how I spend most mornings).

I still had the afternoon to make last minute travel plans.

The morning went fine working online but, by early afternoon, the internet came to a halt!

For internet: I have an unlimited data plan on my phone. My phone plan includes unlimited data on my iPad but, when using my laptop, I need to use my phone as a hotspot to connect my laptop to the internet.

It’s extremely difficult to make plans without the internet.

I also use Google Maps… which uses the internet.

Google Maps is supposed to automatically download an offline map of the area I’m in but the feature had been turned off.

Thankfully, my cell service was still working… so I called Nikki.

We use the Life360 tracking app and Nikki can see exactly where I am 24/7.

I don’t have paper maps because I’m not good at following them. How do you follow a map when you don’t even know where you’re at on the map!?!

Using my Life360 location, Nikki gave me directions to the nearest interstate (in case my internet didn’t come back by morning).

Calling Verizon

After a couple hours of no internet, I decided to call Verizon to see if something was wrong with my phone.

The biggest hurdle was giving Verizon access to my account. To give them access, you need to click a button on your phone allowing them to have access… but you need internet in order to click the button!

The lady I spoke to was great. She didn’t make me feel rushed and, eventually, was able to get the info she needed to look into my internet issue.

She didn’t see anything on my account that would prevent me from accessing the internet so we reset my phone and did a few other routine things.

Nothing we did resolved the issue.

Learning Why I Lost Internet

As we spoke, I realized the Verizon lady thinks I’m in Illinois (the address on my account).

When I told her I was in Adel, Georgia, she quickly saw that a cell tower near me was in “maintenance” mode.

She said the maintenance was slated to take up to 24 hours.

The Next Morning

My internet was back and it was time to make a plan!

I reserved a campsite at a campground in Kingsland, Georgia… a short 2 1/2 hour drive.

I’ve stayed at this campground several times. There’s also an auto shop in Kingsland that I stop at for oil changes and such.

My perfect plan was to get my oil changed and tires rotated while in Kingsland so that I’m good-to-go for the winter.

Leaving Reed Bingham State Park

The rain turned to a light mist… making it less of a hassle to pack up and head to my next destination.

As I start the van, the tire pressure light glares back at me.

My destination is 2 1/2 hours away but I don’t want to drive that far before filling the tire(s).

Using the handy-dandy internet, I see a place a couple miles down the road where I can check and fill my tires.

My Intuition Says “Don’t”

A few minutes later, I pull into the parking lot of the tire place.

As I look for the air hose, I have a strong feeling this isn’t the answer to the problem.

Even though I have no tangible proof, I feel like it’s something more than the normal reduction in tire pressure. I also feel like it needs to be looked into before I head to Kingsland.

I find a place to park so I can figure out a new plan.

Using the handy-dandy internet (again), I find a fairly close auto shop.

While I’m there, I may as well get my oil changed and tires rotated.

Finding A Screw

At the auto shop… it turns out Bella (my van) found a screw. She needs to stop doing that!

That explains the tire pressure issue.

My tires still have lots of life left. Thankfully, the screw was in a spot that could be patched.

The total bill for the oil change, tire rotation and patch came to $118.34 but I only had to pay $27.69 (because I use their reward program!).

Reward Programs are a simple way to cut costs. It’s much easier now-a-days than decades ago when we had to carry all the “reward tags” on our keychains (if you know, you know). In the modern day world, we can carry unlimited reward programs… all compactly contained within our phone.

Parting Thoughts

Life likes to throw a wrench into the mix every now-and-then. There’s simply no avoiding it.

I’m glad the issues were small and easily resolved.

About the Featured Image (at the top): I took this picture as I crossed a railroad track somewhere in the backroads of Adel, Georgia (before I arrived at Reed Bingham State Park). It was the only sunny day during my time in Adel.