Maneuvering through writer's block

It's been a long time since I posted - I appreciate any readers who have remained with me during my long absence.  It was not because of writer's block that I've been gone - it was just life.  I got a job, am still home schooling, taking care of my elderly mother, etc, etc.  I know, I know, everyone has a life.  Mine just sort of fell into a black hole for a bit.  I did not stop writing, but it's hard to be creative when you're in a hurry.  I'm actually at Chapter 19, for those of you who are following my progress.  I'm excited!  The entire novel takes place, mostly, in about one week, and I'm on Friday!  This project is nearing completion.  There is a sense of purpose, of having accomplished what I set out to do...almost, anyway.  I still have to tie in the lose ends, and leave some hanging.  I think, perhaps, that this is the hardest part of the writing.  While I've been doing all of this, I'm also reading for a friend.  And wouldn't you know it, he got BAD writer's block right about the time I started staring at my computer, wondering where my story was going.

So I've been thinking about writer's block.  What is it that makes us 'lose our way' or 'forget why we came into this room' while writing our novels?  And when we get there, how do we navigate out of it?

I would love to hear from the rest of you what thoughts you have and what things you've tried.  For me, I've tried a few things that seem to work and I'll share them here.

The first one is a bit time consuming.  I did this at the beginning, when I only had a few chapters to read.  But now I have over 50,000 words so this method is...cumbersome.  I would go back and read the entire story, not allowing myself time for editing, but just racing through the story.  Then, when I reached the part I was trying to write, my brain would kick in and carry on with more.  Perhaps I could still do this, by using my story board?

Which brings me to the next thing - story boards.  I bought those thin strips of cork board, in a metal frame, about 4 feet long.  I put each chapter and major scene on an index card, color coded by character groups and sub plots.  (I would love to have one like Castle has, but you know, I'm not a best selling author, yet, ha!)

Day dream.  I know, if people walk in on me, it's a little awkward, so I lock my door and slip into one of my characters.  Yep, it's weird, but hey, it works. 

Take a walk.  Or a long drive.  This seems to be my most effective helper.  I take my digital recorder with me and let the sunshine and fresh air stir up my mind. 

So...any input from the rest of you?  What do you do to jump start your story line?