Tiptronic Goes Nuts!

[slogans7]

Just before I left on my present trip to Chicago (go Cubs!), my Tiptronic transmission went nuts. My wife and I went to dinner in my Box and everything was fine. After dinner, when I started the car, I got a red warning with some sort of bizarre icon and a warning about the Tiptronic. Although I forgot what the message was, the bottom red light on the automatic side and the red light next the the "4" on the manual side kept blinking in an alternating pattern. While I was able to drive it, it stayed in one gear (3rd or 4th). I got home, turned off the ignition, waited a few minutes and started it up again. This time, no problem - I could shift easily and the automatic worked fine.

Any idea what in hell is going on here?