After fits and starts, Indian Summer is finally giving way to Autumn for true. Trees and shrubs along our route have burst into a brilliant red and orange flame of color before literally going bare overnight in a shower-storm of leaves. The rest of nature is faithfully following suit: reptilian creatures metabolically slowing down and slithering into hibernation holes; warm-blooded migratory birds heading for Gulf Coast marshes and Central American wildlands; and, like the “V”-flights of geese honkily winging their way towards more seasonable climes, we’re seeing flocks of human RVers abandoning their northerly summer habitats and beating a hasty retreat down to Florida, South Texas, and Arizona. The state parks have been suddenly and rapidly depopulated as if by some instinctive genetic signal that winter is imminent. Campers have packed up the strings of lights, banners, bird feeders, and grills. They've folded pullout modules back into the RV and securely stowed canopies, screened cabanas, and bikes. Where once we might have been cheek by jowl with a host of frontcountry campers, we now have our pick of overnight sites in an otherwise empty campground estate. But, sadly, we too are heeding the seasonal clock as we head down the e-Tour's final stretch and contemplate a return to our South Louisiana home.
