Cajun Camping

The beautiful campground we picked to live in, here in Eunice, LA - tall pine trees cover the 42 acres which includes a lake and swimming hole. Since we have been here, there were maybe a dozen or so other campers scattered out over the park, very quiet.

But that all changed starting Friday noon. We had been warned ahead of time by the office, the park was already booked to capacity for the weekend and more, and the usual 'quiet time' of 10 p.m. would not be enforced during the extended Mardi Gras season.

The 95 campsites were indeed all full to overflowing, most with camper, a truck, a car, LOTS of people, and a trailer which held the golf cart. Yes, everyone has a golf cart here which this weekend was used partially for the kids parade float, but apparently is a necessity for camping, used to 'cruise' the campground with tunes blaring from the oversized speakers on said vehicle.

Everyone started arriving Friday and the sense of excitement rose as the day progressed. Kids were riding bikes and playing on the playground, shooting hoops, it was fun to walk around and watch the excitement - yes we were the only ones on foot, dodging carts :). We were surrounded by huge family/friend gatherings with giant grills full of food and giant coolers full of beer, all in a background booming base beat. After we turned in on Friday night we could hear all the words and sing along with a collection of Alabama tunes, all was good, at least we liked the music, and it got quiet before 10.

An interesting observation - I saw no phones, let me repeat NO phones being held or looked at by kids or adults, these folks were really here for the experience of "camping", very refreshing. 

The kids Mardi Gras parade was great, all kids dressed up in costumes and throwing beads to the crowd of parents and observers along the parade route. They were on golf carts, hay-filled wagons, little red wagons, bikes, and scooters. Then there was the chicken run, an old time Mardi Gras tradition, very fun to watch.

By Saturday night the partying really got wound up, folks were very drunk and vocal, kids were running wild, and the music was cranked up. We had to be the bad guys and run off some screaming kids who were playing hide and seek around our camper - our camper was rockin' but not by us - they were bumping into it and piling up beer cans on the picnic table.

All-in-all it was an exciting weekend, just gearing up for the 'real' Mardi Gras 4-day weekend coming up. A whole new experience for us, discovering a new meaning for "camping" out. 

Camping is an elective outdoor recreational activity… participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natural ones in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment. Wikipedia

So I guess it is all in interpretation. Sorry, these old folks don't party and our definition of camping is a national park or state park where the sounds are only of a nearby creek or river, or a crackling campfire. 

What do you look for in a campground?