Thanks for the tip, Lenore...
We tried all of the troubleshooting listed on this site (and others). Used dry lube; put car in neutral to try to release the locked steering wheel; jiggled key; tapped key; hit key with palm og hand; reset electrical system; tried both sets of keys; wait...rinse and repeat. I tried all of these tricks as did my husband, a local mechanic and 2 tow truck drivers. Nothing worked. Had the car towed to the closest Lexus dealer (2.5 hrs away). Guess what...when it arrived they said they put the key in and it worked just fine. I'm so over this car. Already had the Hybrid battery replaced too. I simply don't trust it and these problems always seem to happen when we are hours from home. Blah.