Monday was a long travel day.

We started out from Columbia, MO on our way to Cheyenne, WY. The GPS decided to route us through Kansas instead of Nebraska. With all the decisions that come along with a move a job change, sometimes you just want someone else to take control and that’s what I did with the GPS.

It started out good. There was a sign stating that we were on the Oregon Trail and that was pretty cool. Shortly after that, the rains started and then came the winds. The sky was a dingy, nicotine color and keeping the car on the road was harder than it needed to be. This kept on for hours.

As I neared the Colorado state line, I noticed that my car was running a little hot. That never happens so I pulled off at an exit and let it sit before adding some coolant. I was good for another 35-40 minutes but then it started to inch up again.

God saw fit to get me to the exit in Flagler, CO where there just happened to be a garage. After an initial diagnosis of a blown head gasket, cooler heads realized it might be as simple as a bad radiator cap.

I was back on the road and carefully watching that temperature gauge. Fueled by adrenalin, I pressed on and wound up in Cheyenne a little after 9 local time.

It was a rough day. There were tears and a overwhelming sense of loneliness. At the end of the day, there was also a sense of accomplishment in having met the challenge and thankfulness that the problem was minor and that I had a support team of friends and family, even if they weren’t physically with me.