As we start our “Most Excellent RV Adventure” we are not sure how long it will last or where it will take us, but here we go.  Join us on our first leg of the adventure dubbed “Operation First Run” for no other reason than we needed a name and it is our first leg.  Our longest trip to date has been two weeks, not long by RVing standards.

We began the day at the Red Stick Farmers Market as we do each Saturday morning when we’re in Baton Rouge.  This week is National Farmers Market Week and for the occasion Jay Grimes of WAFB Channel 9 rang the opening bell.  We know Jay from Louie’s Café and so we had a nice conversation with him before he performed his opening duties.

John saved the tire checking for this morning and after he checked the tires, found that three of the four nuts which bolt down the compressed air tank in one of the tool boxes of BART (Big Ass Red Truck) had come loose and been lost.  After a trip to the hardware store and loosing 5 lbs of sweat, we were back in business.  This however, delayed us and
we ended up not leaving until 12:30.  No problem, our first leg is just to Lake Charles, LA.  It was only a two hour run including a mandatory stop at the Butte La Rose Welcome Center for coffee.  Not only does the welcome center have great coffee it is also a Cajun museum with displays of food, music, and culture along with a video about the Atchafalaya Swamp.

We are parked at the L’Auberge du Lac Casino RV Park which has 15 sites and a small patch of grass.  It is hot!  After setting up and turning the air on, we headed to the casino to get cool and drop a few coins while the rig tried to cool down.

With casino tax paid, we headed back for dinner and our special bottle of wine.  We saved a 2004 Stella Maris (thanks to a tip from Matt) for our first night on the road and it
did not disappoint.  It was served with pasta and shrimp along with homemade garlic bread.  It was a great beginning to our “Most Excellent RV Adventure”.