Learning to adapt
My journey may have started on the wrong foot, but due to the generosity of others, it appears that I will not have to head back to Connecticut. I had planned this trip to be a soul searching adventure and a means to acquire useful skills. 300 miles from home it was looking like it would all be a bust. Thankfully and embarrassingly, members of Expedition Portal stepped up with ideas and support. After a couple days my host here in Virginia and I both came to the conclusion that towing my Land Cruiser to Arizona was the best option.
I will admit, luck is rarely on my side and Monday showed me that I was still in that rut. Maybe I wasn't though. The day before my departure, ExPo member JerryYukon sent me a message stating that I could sleep at his place in Front Royal, Virginia instead of my original plan to stay at a KOA in Harpers Ferry. A good dinner and a warm place to sleep trump a KOA any day. Little did I know, but this would be the best decision I have made in a long time and luck really was on my side despite.
Driving up the mountain road to his house my hopes for the future were disappearing as the smoke poured out my tailpipe. That night was a stressful night, but as the suggestions and support came rolling in from members on Expedition Portal I started to realize I would make it to Arizona no matter what. After weighing all our options we had an idea. A few weeks from now Jerry was going to traveling a near similar route to mine plus he had a tow hitch on his Jeep that was not coming along. He then made an offer I couldn't refuse. We were going to find a way to attach his tow bar to my Cruiser and he was moving up his departure date closer to mine so I can be in AZ with enough time to visit friends, develop contacts, and repair the Cruiser before Overland Expo and my final destination in Montana.
With the tow bar stashed in the Cruiser, we headed to American Truck and Trailer Supply in Manassas. Thankfully, we had little issue getting there, although the Cruiser was still smoking and shaking. After some brain storming we came up with a simple idea and we were out of there before we knew it.
In a few days, after Jerry completes his pre-trip tasks, we will be back on the road. I will need to get to Flagstaff by March 15th. Instead of buying oil, funds have been allocated to towing the Cruiser. Jerry and I both felt this was the most logical option. There is no perfect option to this turn of events, but I need to learn to adapt and let life happen instead of forcing it to happen.