From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Mile 66, the Rest Stop, and Roosevelt
It started with a bang at mile marker 66 on I-84 West. Our trailer lost the rear left tire, which didn’t just shred rubber but also snapped the axle. Semis were blasting by two feet from us, making it so dangerous that we had to call 911 just to stand outside and assess the damage.
After the tow trucks came and went, we were left with another problem: nowhere to go. No campground openings, no Harvest Hosts, nothing within an hour’s drive. Our “lodging” became a chaotic overnight at a rest stop, complete with the symphony of idling semis and the adrenaline still buzzing through our veins.
And then, like a gift, thanks to my most wonderful friend Kim, we found an Elks Lodge that could take us in. Two nights there felt like a spa retreat compared to the asphalt chaos. We even clinked cold beers at happy hour with new friends, exhaling for the first time since the breakdown.
The next day I walked across the Hudson River, letting the wind and water steady me. Later, I wandered through Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s home, their Rose Garden, and their gravesite. Standing there, I thought about resilience, leadership, and love that endures, qualities we’d been leaning on heavily ourselves.
Sometimes the road takes you through chaos before it hands you quiet beauty. This stretch gave us both.
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