Mardi Gras madness in Lake Charles, LA

I never thought one of the biggest thrills of my life would come from tossing plastic trinkets at eager strangers.

Last week, I rode on a Mardi Gras float sponsored by Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau in Lake Charles, Louisiana, home to the second-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the state.

For 90 minutes, I enthusiastically flung beads to the waiting crowds as quickly as I could, feeling a high, and yes a sense of absolute power, watching the smiling faces of the children and adults who leapt to add to their growing pile of green, purple and gold necklaces.

To see a 360-degree view from the float and a dancing gator, click here.

– Jan Schroder, Girl on the Go