Honeymoon Playlist

As honeymoons go, ours was pretty squirrely. Nuts of all kinds were dropped on us, but as we kept collecting them one by one, we found that we can actually carry quite a bunch at a time....a true testament to how we will handle life together as a married couple. Sometimes Ronnie had to carry more when I started to drag behind in my carry. Other times, I had to pick up a few more to help him out along the way. But we rocked it like A-Listers and inevitably made it home safe and sound.

Enjoy our Honeymoon Playlist

• Up on the Roof: Day 2 we pulled out of our campsite and clipped a tree - or it clipped us. It tore the roof down the entire side of the camper along the edge - allowing for a trip to Lowe's for some gorilla duct tape. First call was to the RV repair shop - $8,000 easy. Turns out you can't patch an RV roof - it has to be replaced. Next call was to the insurance agent.

• Back in Black: Same day pulling into the next campsite (late & dark, no campsite lights and pouring rain) we clipped a rock - or rather a rock clipped us - and tore the end piece off of our black tank's end spout. Never saw the rock. Don't know what a black tank is? Hint: we were too 'pooped' to try to fix it that night.

• Please Come to Boston: Next day we arrived at our destination in Boston and made another trip to Lowe's for more gorilla duct tape and clamps to piece the black tank piping together.

• More Than a Feeling: Gloucester, Salem, Boston, Fenway - beautiful 3 days touring the sites via trains, trolleys and Hey Dudes. I wish to go back someday and spend more time there. It's definitely an experience to be right in the middle of where the American action was in the 1770's.

• Philadelphia Freedom: If only we could have reached there. Driving to Philly with a 1 ton truck and 5th wheel RV strapped on the back just wasn't in the cards for us. GPS routing us to travel through just-north of NYC and Newark, I was already fearing the worst. Four hours into the 10 hour trip reaching Yonkers/White Plains, the GPS put us on the "Sawmill River Parkway" - we missed the sign that said 'passenger cars only'. Police chase us down and lead us carefully through the low hanging bridges to the nearest exit - and dump us in a congested, narrow lane suburban community, with no ability to turn around.

• Paradise by the Dashboard Light: At that same exact time, the truck dash warning light accompanied with very loud 'ding-ding-ding' chimes - Warning Reduced Power Mode. That's the 'limp mode' warning that is telling us that "something is wrong with the truck and you have just enough power to get to the nearest mechanic". It limits your speed to 45 mph, and keeps reducing over intervals of time until it stops. Found a Chevy dealer open on a Saturday: "Yes, we work on diesel's", but you need to bring it back on Monday when we can diagnose it." And so begins week 2 of our honeymoon - an extended stay in White Plains.

• Call Me Maybe: By telephone the Hampton Inn says, "Sure you can park the RV in our lot - either here, or there, or there". But they didn't mention that the lot is on a three tiered, slanted rise with u-turns to get to each level. Not RV conducive. So we moved the RV to a local 'Travel Service Center' that was on the highway. The gas station said we could leave the RV there for a few days.

• I Fall to Pieces: Sunday at the Hampton Inn, we are watching some NFL from the hotel room. My ear had been bothering me, so I took out my hearing aids for some relief. I never heard the thud. I happened to look over at Ronnie and he is laying flat out on the floor - I can only see his torso and his legs. Running around to him, he is incoherent but awake. He had a pretty bloody gash to the back of the head and was somewhere on another planet barely above unconsciousness. Finally able to get him up and sit on the bed, I summoned for a wheelchair and we Ubered to the hospital ER - which turned into a 2 day stay in a hospital room. Lot's of tests and scans to decide that a current medication is causing some dizziness and to follow up with docs when we get home. Several Ubers back and forth from hotel to hospital.

• The Sound of Silence: Tuesday morning - my ear was getting worse so I Ubered to an urgent care - "ear infection, here is some oral antibiotic".

• Don't Know Why: Tuesday - the Chevy dealer says they don't know what's wrong with the truck. "We do, but we don't, really have a diesel mechanic on staff - if ya know what I mean". What?! It took 2 days for them to figure that out.

• Gone, Gone, Gone: Tuesday afternoon - discharge from the hospital and head to get the truck with no idea where to take it next. We stop over at the travel center to get it moved back to the hotel and the camper is gone - IMPOUNDED - an hour before we got there! We called the tow truck lot and found it, but they were closed and we could retrieve it in the morning at $125 per night holding fee. Note: the truck is still in Limp Mode.

• All I Need is a Miracle: Wednesday morning we get to the tow lot and BEHOLD a blessing, they are also auto mechanics that work on diesels! We left the truck AND camper with them. End of day we are told it's the truck's injectors ($3,500) and the parts would be in Friday. Once parts in in it takes a day to repair.

• Ophelia: Friday Hurricane Ophelia floods the area and roads are closed everywhere - so the truck parts did not make it in. And so begins week 3 with an added weekend in the Hampton Inn.

• Hear Me: Sunday, my ear was getting worse and in incredible pain - no hearing and my ear drum felt like it could burst. Ubered back to the urgent care and got ear drops. This time the medicine seemed give some relief.

• Joking: Monday the truck parts made it in. Repair completed on Tuesday. Ha!

• Money, Money, Money: Wednesday morning we pay the tow fee ($825) plus mechanic expenses and police come to 'release' the camper. Blessing: mechanic waives the $125/day holding fees on the camper.

• Danger, Will Robinson: Wednesday afternoon we take off for home - only to get an hour into New Jersey - Warning Reduced Power Mode. We drop the camper at another truck stop travel center (this time with complete permission and $20 per day overnight fees) and HEAD BACK TO THE MECHANIC in White Plains.

• One More Night: Back to the Hampton Inn and a new diagnosis that the 'harness' to the injectors are now faulty. Overnighted part would be delivered 'soon'.

• Big 'Ol Truck: Thursday afternoon - "The truck is fixed".

• Livin' on a Prayer: Friday morning we head back to New Jersey, hook up the camper, and make our way back to Indiana - bypassing Philly and Williamsburg, our intended honeymoon destinations.

• Shake It Off: The Reduced Power Mode never came back on, BUT a few different warning lights and 'ding-ding-ding's' kept chiming All. The. Way. Home. We decided to take our chances and keep driving - the warnings were not engine related. Nerves were rattled is an understatement.

Needless to say, the truck and the camper are out for repairs. Come to find out, the insurance agent made a type-o in drawing up the camper policy.... he forgot a 0 on the $60,000 policy. Murphy strikes again.