Fall in Terre Haute Indiana

Fall has arrived!

We didn’t really experience fall’s arrival last year. We were in South Carolina, on St Helena Island and Myrtle Beach for much of October. It was lovely, sunny, warm and beautiful. We explored the local area, spent a day in Savannah Georgia, avoided rattle snakes and alligators in one campground and celebrated Halloween in another.

This year we’re actually experiencing the change of seasons, and it’s a beautiful place to do it. Terre Haute was never on our itinerary, but it’s a wonderful campground to enjoy in October. Abundant trees, leaves on the cusp of change, crisp mornings, friendly neighbors, helpful staff, and the conveniences needed for life in an RV.

I actually put decorations out this year. Pumpkins, hay bales and mums along with decor that slides into our basement. Tablecloths with fall colors and spicy candles. I love fall decor and I skipped it last year. We arrived in Flat Rock NC on November 1st, and Christmas was coming so why bother with fall? But not this year!

I’m reveling in it this year. I even bought pumpkin spice maple syrup, it’s delicious in iced coffee or hot tea.

Speaking of Flat Rock NC, the entire area we lived in and explored for 2 months last year, is now the victim of Hurricane Helene. Chimney Rock, Asheville, Flat Rock, Hendersonville—all in various states of destruction, by the vicious flooding and winds that hit them last week. I’m having a hard time getting my brain around it. No one imagines a hurricane will reach the Appalachian mountains! We loved the area, so much to see and do.

And now, thanks to Helene, it will never be the same again.

Chimney Rock was decimated. The restaurants we ate in-gone. Shops we bought presents and trinkets in-gone. The road in and out-gone, bridges-gone. It was a charming place, a cross between Appalachian quaint and kitschy. We visited with friends one day, and with our kids at Christmas.

And it’s all gone.

As we continued to navigate the repairs on our truck, we hit a wall and made the decision to stay here through Christmas. I spent a morning cancelling reservations, something I’d done a few weeks previously, for our route to a family reunion in Texas. Once we made the decision to stay here, our (3rd) mechanic diagnosed the problem. We could have been back on the road and in Navarre Beach, Florida for October.

But Hurricane Helene was on the way…

Our travels would have taken us directly to the panhandle of Florida, where some of Helene’s worst impact was aimed. Navarre Beach is west of the big bend area, and so far it doesn’t looked like it’s been destroyed. But adding ‘hurricane’, ‘evacuation’ and ‘monster cleanup’ were never on our bucket list.

The camp manager here, happily accommodated us for whatever length we need to stay. Our little area within the campground, is largely full time travel workers. We’ve befriended several, particularly a young woman, hired as an assistant softball coach for Indiana State University. It’s her first FT job away from home and she’s lonely. She hails from Rome Georgia, and a pending midwest winter is daunting to her. Bruce, being all things ‘dad’, reassured her (and her parents) that he will help her winterize and prep for the season.

The dads even traded phone numbers.

This campground wasn’t entirely immune to Helene. We had about 7 hrs of high winds, and buckets of rain. It took out a big tree in the camp and rained acorns on our RV, (they sound like rocks). We wobbled a bit, but it was much safer, and less risky than going to Florida. We are daily grateful for this detour. It kept us safe, repaired and supplied.

Side note, there are donkeys, (and goats) in this campground and we hear them in the mornings. Nothing like a good donkey bray over coffee!

Currently, our plan is to use our deposit on the Navarre Beach campground for January, as long as we can get there and the campground is habitable. If we don’t use it, we loose it and while it’s not a huge sum, the principle holds. Beyond that we have no idea where we’ll go.

But in the meantime, we’re enjoying an Indiana fall. Can’t ask for better weather, 80 degree days/55 degree nights. Sunshine, just enough rain. Lunch outdoors, fire pit in the evenings. Color, and events every weekend to explore. I met a fellow quilter who owns a long arm machine and I’m going to inquire about trying it out. Just two ladies, standing in line at Joanns…

Abundant provision everywhere we’ve turned.

Bruce’s new contract seems promising, he’s enjoying the work and barely breaking a sweat. Our kids are about 4-5 hrs away in different directions. The youngest two spontaneously came for a weekend. There are lovely cabins for visitors to rent. My only complaint are the stink bugs! I think I used an entire box of Kleenex on them in our bedroom. I lost count after 50.

While we didn’t plan this detour, it’s become a rich blessing that we are so glad we didn’t miss. We anticipate further dimensions of purpose as we continue to settle in. We’ve come to accept that life is never without it. We love knowing there is always something to do that has an eternal quality.

God’s faithfulness = life’s best adventure!