Whelp - on the third day - RV living

It started out innocently enough as things always do.

We got an early start and hit the road

and then.......

the dreaded dashboard lights awoke.

 It was the diesel particulate light.

It is basically a filter that needs to be cleaned.

Or it could be a sensor.

Or it could be a multitude of things we are

at this point clueless about.

In any case, when the dashboard light comes on and

it's the diesel particulate light

you have limited power to limp to a safe place.

 Tom limped it into a truck stop in Virginia - Cockerham's

Gulf Station in Hillsdale VA.

Called Coach.net and three hours later our coach

was getting hooked up to go back 81 miles

to a Cummins dealer to see what's what.

 Because of insurance stuff we were not allowed to stay

in the Cummins parking lot so we ended up at the Holiday Inn near the airport.

At 5 a.m. the hotel decided that everyone needed a wake up call

so there we were sitting outside due to a false fire alarm.

Thankfully false.

It was an interesting alarm.

It's loud, annoying and persistent.

However, getting bounced out of bed and trying to figure

things out - I, for one, can't do anything willy-nilly

first thing without a bathroom break.

Fire schmire. LOL.

Then I was NOT going outside in my underwear,

so throwing on clothes was necessary for everyone involved,

and they even had coffee made in the lobby.

This has never happened in a campground.

Returning upstairs we found it impossible to go back to sleep.

All that adreneline you know.

So Tom went to Cummins to see about the coach and

I'm just chillin' in the room.

Life is so not boring on the road.

A Piece of History

Right below where we parked, we noticed a motel with a

wreath hooked on a balcony with

2 white cars parked in the lot.

It hit me that this was the place that Martin Luther King

was assassinated.

So down the steps I ran.

 The motel is part of the National Civil Rights museum

in Memphis.

Right across the street is this gorgeous mural of all 

the people that helped the cause.

I would've loved to have gone through the museum but

we were there right at closing time unfortunately and were

not going to be back in the area.

But now we now - when we go for ribs - go earlier.

However, I'm glad to see what I did.

Our suite at the Westin, Riverfront

My DH travels alot and has signed up to earn points on airlines and hotels. Since he travels so much he earned enough points for us to not only stay in this swanky hotel, he is a preferred members so we have this lovely suite FREE for 5 days, paying only for 1 day. Earning points is really worth it. We also do points for airlines - and that allowed us to fly both ways first class.

My advice - sign up!!!

 This is what you see when you walk in. Stunning.

And a dining room, living room combo...with a balcony.

The bedroom has a little office to it.

And the bathroom is more of a spa.

The bedroom also has a balcony, and the windows will make you swoon. They are huge and the views amazing.

And a fireplace that makes it all cozy and warm. 6 days of this amazing vacation. 

And to top it off - we're going to Red Rock to see my man Joe Bonnamassa - the best blues man EVER. and I can't wait. We also did a preview of Red Rock - haven't processed the photos.

Of course it rained. LOL.

Cape May lighthouse & victorian mansions & a confession

I adore lighthouses, and I think they were so romantic back in the day. However, it was hard work, long hours and in a lot of cases isolation and no indoor plumbing which would totally be a sticking point for me. I'm not that hardy. 

BUT I still adore them. 

The lighthouse was a dot on a piece of land when we crossed in the ferry and of course I tried my hand at trying to zoom in and get a picture. It wasn't working out so my awesome DH hunted it down on land. Since I became the booted wonder I didn't do a lot of moving around so there aren't many different angles.

Of course I took 139398473973874 of just this one angle and I decided to spare you.

You're welcome.

We then drove down the shore line. On my left are these stately manors and on the right - the ocean, of which there are no photos. But these glorious mansions, hotels and B&B's were never ending and totally breathtaking.

Most of these B&Bs and hotel/motels have been around a long time, restored and updated, and absolutely beautiful in all their Victorian glory. An expensive stay no doubt. 

On the corner are these two conjoining as twins and named Angel of the Sea hotel. 

Are they not gorgeous?

In full disclosure I experienced bad boat juju. As I stepped off the RV onto the deck of the ferry, my precious baby and expensive camera and lens flew out of my hand and hit the concrete deck.

I had a slight mini meltdown full blown freakout and thankfully only the filter on the lens broke which was determined after quite a few photos taken randomly to make sure all was well.

In fact, this post, was done after my debacle. The first photo was not the result of the catastrophe, but my bad manual settings. 

I can't tell you how relieved I am.

Once we landed at my SIL & BIL's the proper tools were found, and the dented filter was removed from my 18-135 canon lens and all is well. I didn't look. I couldn't.

On a positive note, 

my heart has returned to its irregular heartbeat.