I Planned, I Drove, I Shopped, and Yes!! I Survived!!

There are somethings in life that you just have to do for yourself to really "get it". No matter what I had read or heard about The Longest Yard Sale ( aka  Route 127 Sale) nothing prepared me for the actual experience.  This was the 25th year of the sale which runs from Gadsden, Al to Addison, Mi., that's over 600 miles. Don't even ask me how I lived 50+ years in Michigan and never heard of this sale until last year.!! Armed with maps of the Gadsden, Al to Crossville, TN leg of the sale, a cooler of cold water and snacks, my trusty road dog (no, not my dog Trey) My daughter Cassie, off we went.  We left Lawrenceville on Thursday morning in search of treasures and adventure.



No excess baggage allowed!

Having read online that many small cities in Alabama planned to participate in the 127 Connect which was billed as an additional 100 miles of yard sales along Hwy 77 leading you right into Gadsden, Al I decided to check it out.  It really didn't take me to much out of my way and my brother who lives in Munford, Al was planning to participate. Not a good decision!! Word hadn't gotten out to the vendors ( or at least not on Thursday morning) there were only 3 vendors from Munford to Gadsden, Al.  Said hello to big brother and off we went. 


1st Stop Outside Noccalula Falls, Gadsden AL

Arriving at Noccalula Falls State Park in Gadsden, we hit pay dirt. My first taste of buying at the Longest Yard Sale (LYS) was interesting.  I found a vendor with both of the bowls I needed for my vintage Sunbeam mixer. A great price at $5 for both!! Long story short, I had to fend off another shopper who was trying to buy the bowls even though I had my hand on them. I was calling back home to make sure of the model number before I bought them. Luckily there is honor among sellers and buyers and my seller would not take the money out of her hand.  Wow, I knew then I'd better pull up my big girl pants for this sale!! It had all the making of a grand adventure.

                                       

Here she is complete with her new bowls!!



We met a lot of really interesting people and saw some interesting things!! At the Falls we met a couple from FL who had their bichon along with them. Made us miss Trey all the more. When we ran into them again hours later, they had bought a $5 stroller " to keep the sun off of her". I completely understood, after all she was wearing a fur coat in 97 degree heat. Here's Cassie in her stroller:

She wasn't the only dog we saw along the route:





Lucy actually had 2 chairs!!










Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip.

That last line was major, especially drinking  so much H2O to beat the heat.

From the back of the"clean restroom " line. Only a 20 minute wait, so worth it.

Cute is out the window, 30 minutes after you start shopping in 90+ heat.

 Lots of rustic finds and rusty signs!!

I saw lots of these vintage Coke vending machines along the route.

Not everything for sale was straight out of the basement. There were also lots of creative, handmade crafts for sale.

In TN, heading N.  Bet they still found more to buy before reaching Ohio!

Great way to get inventory for your antique store.

You have to bring your patience and safety skills. Some adults made you want to hold their hands crossing the road!!

This sweet lady has to have one of the better organized garages I've ever seen. Shelved by color, chandeliers hung from rafters( working), & linens on a separate table. Great shopping.

Some sales were on farms where the owners had rented out spaces. Some of these had porta potties and food vendors complete with electrical hookups and off road parking.

As we continued to stop during our first day I quickly realized if we didn't stop shopping, we wouldn't make it to Chattanooga before dark. So, we passed up a lot of sales and hit Chattanooga by early evening. After chatting with four ladies who were having breakfast at our hotel the next morning, we hit the road again. They even told us a short cut to take to Signal Mtn, Tn that saved us time and gas. Thanks!!

With storms moving our way, it was one fogging ride up Signal Mtn. It seriously challenged your driving skills. Don't worry Detroit, I did you proud.

These were sporting my favorite color. Hard to past them up, but I did.

Loved these window insets.

Beautiful, simple very well made benches.

Some body's garage is just a little bit cleaner. Now there's room for "new" stuff.

 Vintage all the way!!

The fog didn't stop us REAL SHOPPERS!!

Not everyone was an early bird. OK you know who gets the worm. Driving by with money in our pockets!

There was a wonderful bonus to this trip. It was the last weekend before my daughter starts her senior year of high school and this trip gave us some quality time together. She didn't even whine about the heat!  OK, a little, but no more than I did, it was HOT.  Travelling through TN we rode through the Chickumuga Battlefield which is actually in Ft. Oglethrophe, GA., just shy of the TN border. She thought it was so cool to see all the monuments that we had to take pics.

    Monuments galore at the Chicumuga Battlefield  a National Park in Ft. Oglethrophe, GA.

 Who knew we'd get a history lesson thrown in on this trip. Geography too, once she looked at the map to figure out how we ended up back in GA!!

We didn't make it to Crossville, TN on day two. There were a few very good reasons why:
 1. It was pouring down rain, major rain in that area by the time we headed that way. Cassie had first day of school on Monday, there would be no time to get her hair done again before then.  I told you, major reasons.
2. The car was full. No more room to be found. Well, maybe Cassie's lap.
3. I was out of cash and was determined not to go to an ATM for more.  I came home with $2 left. I figured we want to get a sweet tea at McDonalds on the way home.

Well, I have more pics and can't wait to show you the really cool stuff that I bought at the LYS.    Head over  and check out my friend Shelly's blog: Confetti Style, she and her husband shopped the sale from Frankfort, KY south to Chattanooga, TN.  While we saw many of the same things, she saw some cool, totally different sites.  Look out LYS, we'll be back next year. And we'll be driving a bigger car, maybe even pulling a trailer behind it!!