It’s Camping Time!

September 30, 2020

In St. Croix, it is a long-time tradition to go camping on many of the beautiful beaches all over the island during the Easter holidays. There are families who have kept up this tradition for over 20 years for generations! I had the honor of spending time at 2 different campsites: Altoona Lagoon (eastern area) and the Historic National Park Salt River (northern area) of St. Croix. Both locations had their own uniqueness, but what was unquestionably the same, was the sense of family, appreciation, togetherness, celebration, tradition, and of course, my favorite—food!

When I asked the ‘Lady in Charge’ at ‘SALT RIVER Camp’ what she loves most about camping, here is what she had to say:
“I love camping! We having been doing this for at least 16 years! My 3 grandchildren are visiting from the states just to camp. It gives me a chance to get away from the world out there and just focus on the goodness that the Lord has given us here on St. Croix. I tell folks that people pay thousands of dollars to come and enjoy what we have [on St. Croix] and we don’t appreciate it. But I appreciate it because I make sure I am here sometimes 2 weeks before camp—that’s just how much! I love to admire it when the moon comes out because there is always a full moon! Then sunrise is so beautiful when strolling down the beach and you just give God thanks for what he has given us here, you know. This is a treasure we must embrace…I love camping! By the way, I am also a great domino player…we are up until 1 and 2 o’clock in the morning playing!”

The ‘Lady in Charge’ at ‘ALTOONA LAGOON Camp’ shared what camping means to her:
“Camping is great! We try to enjoy every bit of it, so we try to start as early as 2 weeks before Easter. We have been camping for decades—over 20 years now! Our best spot is Altoona Lagoon. It’s fun because we have the kids, the grandkids, we have the park, we have visitors and it’s great. Everyone comes to join us and it’s fun! This year the family grew and each year we add more–we have 8 families camping with us this year. This year we are doing an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids—we’re going to take them to the park right there (located across the street). I love everything about camping—EVERYTHING! I love cooking, the kids, domino playing—the environment! We live on an island and we have to enjoy everything! Every year I look forward to my Easter camping. It’s a great time to be around family and you meet new friends and to get together to share—it’s nice!”