Three days, 14 hours of travel and four hours of game time. A win would have been nice. Actually, not losing and seeing the better team not play as poorly as they did would have been nice. Every trip has its ups and downs, and this is why you should go to Baton Rouge at least once:
Being the owner of an incredibly weak tongue, I'm not a fan of anything remotely spicy. I’m willing to try anything at least once, and when in Louisiana, you should be too. Hog Head Cheese, Voodoo Shrimp, Gumbo, Andouille Sausage, Cajun Boiled Peanuts, Boudin… I could keep going but I’m not trying to make your mouth water all over this page. A variety of delicious foods were offered to us at several different tailgates because of the friendliness that we experienced from the SEC’s other tiger fans.
Not a minute after arriving at the parade grounds on campus, friends and I were welcomed and wished a good day by multiple fans and tailgates. Some wished us luck; some invited us to mingle before, after and during the game. We stopped on a corner to decide a game plan when one fan that went by BB stopped to ask if anyone had spoken to us yet. He invited us to follow him to his tailgate, where we met a group of fans all welcoming us to food, beverage and shade.
We spent the rest of the day with BB and family members, tailgating and having a great time before entering the stadium. We browsed around campus and were welcomed to other tailgates and varieties of friends and food. BB mentioned to me that even though were in the SEC and it’s a rivalry, “it’s more than just a football game. Friends and family are what it’s all about.” I haven’t heard truer words spoken in my SEC travels.
Campus was hot, humid and incredibly beautiful. The parade grounds are the perfect place to tailgate. LSU has roughly 5,000 more students and 300 more acres of campus than Auburn. The familiar scene of tents right next to each other and people cramming on to campus is slightly different at LSU. The memorial clock tower and Mike the Tiger are definitely must-sees when on campus, along with Tiger Stadium.
Auburn fans travel well. I’ve seen the thousands in Tampa for New Year’s, and the thousands in California,, Arizona, etc. The six hours to Baton Rouge is worth the trip at least once. A special thank you to BB, Cuckoo, Lippy, Stacy, Gary, Zane and the rest of the Krew of Kouyans that welcomed us behind enemy lines. We can’t wait to show y’all the hospitality of Auburn next year.
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