Searching for Fall

The leaves on my ordinarily stunning maple trees are falling without turning color. So Ruthie and I headed north to a Fiberglass RV rally at Brown County State Park in Indiana in search of fall color. Not a red or gold leaf in sight until it got down to 36 degrees one night and we woke to just the bare beginnings of color in the trees. We have left Indiana but there is a frost warning there. We wish them a lovely fall.

We started out Thursday morning in the rain from Hurricane Michael. Actually, we pulled out of town just in time. We drove through constant rain to Charleston WV where we finally saw some sun while the folks back home were cleaning up from downed trees, flooding and power outages. The campground was cozy and full of these Amish chairs (make of polypropylene--Amish??) which were remarkably comfortable tho a taste gaudy and out of budget.

New Richmond OH

Friday we had a lovely drive along the Ohio river on US 52 through lush farms, charming old villages and past multiple refineries and power plants. It is my favorite drive back to Indiana, far from the Interstate and within sight of the river for most of the way. We ducked around Cincinnati on the Interstate then got back on US 52 and ambled up to Metamora,

Canal boat

Aquaduct

the place where my grandmother's grandparents' family settled from Scotland before moving north to Shelbyville.

Metamora has become a tourist stop, though it remains very much a small town. It is crossed by a canal where you can still ride a canal boat or a historic steam train. And it hosts the last remaining wooden aquaduct in the US. The aquaduct allows the canal boats to cross a local creek. It's a pretty amazing thing to see one channel of water crossing another. There are several old wooden locks still in operation just a short walk out of town.

From Metamora we traveled up to Rushville IN to see the old Durbin Hotel where we had many happy meals with my grandparents. Wendell Wilkie, running for president against FDR, had his campaign headquarters in the old hotel. Rushville is half way between Indianapolis and Cincinnati on old US 52 which long predated the Interstate. Cincinnati Reds Fans made the Durbin their stop for supper on the way home from games. It had a long association with the railroad as well, which made a stop in Rushville. The bar was named the Gandy Dancer Lounge. It was years before I knew what a Gandy Dancer was. I'll let you look it up, but Charles Kuralt's first episode of his On the Road TV show documented the last working team of Gandy Dancers before automation replaced them. I was privileged to see a team of elderly Gandy Dancers working at the NC Transportation Museum when the kids were small. Like the Gandy Dancers, the hotel is long gone, but the building remains and appeared to be gutted for renovation.

Mama Ruth's house

From Rushville, we headed to Shelbyville to see if my grandmother's old house was still standing. My sister and husband lived there the last years of their lives. Ruth died suddenly of an aneurysm. Larry remained in the house for a few more years but became ill and the house fell into disrepair. My son and I visited about three years ago and the damage was so significant that we were afraid there was no future for the old place. My grandmother's grandfather built it and it remained in the family until recently. I'm happy to report that repairs were underway and the new owners are intent on keeping it alive and well.

From Shelbyville, in the dusk and rain, we made our way to Brown County State Park. We crossed paths with other fiberglass RV owners and had a great visit with them. We had the buffet in the Abe Martin Lodge--identical to the buffets we enjoyed for Sunday dinner there when I was a child. We wandered touristy Nashville IN and hit my favorite shops. But the height of the visit was a hike on a trail created by the CCC when the park was built, replete with carefully crafted stone steps and bridges. Like the lodge, many of the older buildings are log and stone. Because of its scenic location (Brown County is called The Little Smokies--the rest of Indiana is on the edge of the Great Plains and incredibly flat, but the glacier that flattened it stopped before reaching the Ohio River, leaving these wooded hills) and also its proximity to Indiana University and its many sporting events, the park is very heavily used. Despite this, the facilities are beautifully maintained and while the buildings may be rustic, they are clean and well cared for.

Inside the Dome at West Badin

West Badin Dome

We had one clear day in the park then headed out in the rain again for a campsite in Kentucky. On the way I took Ruthie by the French Lick and West Badin resorts.
My son and I visited them on our trip three years ago, just after they had completed a multi-million dollar renovation. Both resorts are close together, clustered around natural mineral springs. Folks came here years ago to drink and bathe in the healing waters. My parents brought us here on weekend vacations for the good food

Fireplace West Badin

and comfortable rooms. Now folks come for the golf course, casino

and train museum. When it was built, West Badin was the world's largest unsupported dome. It is still incredibly impressive. The gilded lobby of the French Lick resort is far more elaborate than I remember as a child, but like my grandmother's house, I'm pleased to see these historic buildings having another heyday.

Lobby at French Lick

After the glitter and glory of the resorts, we were off in the rain again. Our next stop, quite in contrast, will be Shaker Village in Harrodsburg, KY. Stay tuned...