Photograph by Cedric Angeles
We arrived in Beaumont in time for ice cream desserts at La Real Michoacana before heading to our first RV park, Hidden Lake. We attempted to connect the RV to power and water but quickly realized that we did not know how. Undeterred, we set out our new camp chairs under oak and yaupon trees, opened cold drinks, and enjoyed a quiet night, a yellow moon, and the sweet sound of killdeers. I could hear more birdsong and trucks on the highway, a symphony of “almost to Louisiana.”
The mysterious beeping started again as we crossed the state line and headed to the small city of Breaux Bridge, eight miles east of Lafayette. Settled by Acadians around 1771, the “Crawfish Capital of the World” every May hosts the Crawfish Festival, at which you can enter a crawfish-eating contest the record is 55 ¾ pounds in 45 minutes or simply watch the parade and listen to zydeco and Cajun bands.