The Longest Yard Sale - Day 2

WOW Guys! We are whipped!! So tired and Ash is saying that she can't post until tomorrow because she can't keep her eyes open any more! Today was beyond great!!

Our first day we started in Gadsden, Alabama and traveled all the way to Chattanooga, Tennessee...we slept over at a Super 8 (watch out...keepin' it classy!) I would rather spend my money on vintage treasures and not hotels! But, remember guys this is off the beaten path...so please don't think you will have the option of staying at a 5 star hotel, because you don't! Some of the cities / towns that you pass through on the Longest Yard Sale are very small and don't have very many options for places to stay! So tip #1....book your hotel rooms well in advance....one you can get great rates (I booked early and didn't pay more than $50 per night!)

So today we traveled from Chattanooga, Tennessee all the way up highway 127 north and made it to Crossville, Tennessee! Because Crossville is such a small town - there were no options for hotels and the few places to stay like cabins and such - were booked well in advance...so we are staying in Cookeville, Tennessee which is about 35 min from Crossville (but when you have a truck full of stuff...it takes a little longer to travel, so it took us about an hour!)

The part of the route we traveled today was my favorite so far...don't get me wrong...I spent the most money today (in comparison to yesterday), but man it was worth it! Tennessee is such a beautiful place for one and two the people around here are so kind and lastly of course...they have some amazing treasures hiding behind these mountains! Me and Ash many times would just pull over on the side of the road and take our bags of cameras out and just start snapping away (I say bags of cameras...because if you know me and ash...we travel with multiple cameras...iphone camera, Ash's professional camera, my nixon 1, our instax camera, etc...I mean you get the point...it is madness!)

We traveled through lots of little towns and cities today - if you ever decide to take this crazy adventure....please know that in many of the cities on Hwy 127 (the route for the longest yard sale) have vendors / antique dealers that set up in groups...which makes it nice when stopping because you can park and look through hundreds of vendors booth all in one central location! But, Tip #2 if you stop at every vendor booth and every single yard sale on the route you will never be able to get very far each day....because there are thousands!! I know it is hard to pass up any yard sale if you like me, but in this case...you have to pass some up! 

Here are some awesome things that were found in Signal Mountain, TN area...

When I was a kid...I had this little red suitcase and of course my mom (with four kids!) could not keep everything...but I am now the proud owner of this suitcase once again!! Circa early 80s I was bringing that to my Mimi's house every weekend!! Now I need a second one...for my twin sister because we had a matching set!! 

Who remembers these stencils put out by Tupperware back in the 80s as a promotional item?! (Can't you tell I grew up in the 80s?) Well...another item I use to own and my mom got rid of...I mean that is where my creativity began...well for $1 I got them back!! It is those little things that bring back such happy memories...and that is why I collect!!

One of my many purchases for my yard! This beautiful wooden blueberry wagon that I will most likely use for plants! I paid $17 for it! 

Vintage bicycles are all the rage these days!! And they are so expensive and in some places extremely over priced! Some of these bikes in these pictures were any where from $300 - $800. So if you are the owner of one of these...you have a serious treasure!!

Ash bought a vintage doll house (circa 1940s) from a Mennonite woman who told her that her and her husband do a lot of estate sales and resale the items...recently they were at one and saw this doll house...she looked at her husband and said "please get that doll house...I have always wanted one as a child and never had one!" Awhh....she was tearing up telling Ashley that! She was excited because she knows it is going to a good home...and it will be sure appreciated! 

Cookeville, TN is a jewel of a city too (that is where we stayed friday & saturday night) I learned today while at dinner (at the best Italian restaurant around this area...go to Mauricio's if you ever in the area!)

that Cookeville is home to Russell Stovers Chocolate and you can visit the factory store...although they manufactured the chocolates in the Cookeville for many, many years....they no longer do it because they learned that you can make things cheaper in Mexico (Go figure...even our chocolates are made in Mexico!) They still have the retail store...where you can buy chocolates for a discounted price (I guess they are passing there savings on to you...since they are now made in Mexico...how sweet?!)

After a long day of treasure hunting...here I Am amazed that we can even fit another thing in the back of the truck!!

Still another day of junkin'!!! Our three day will be in the next blog post...it will start in Clarkrange, TN! 

Also I am posting this blog post from my iPhone, so please know when I get home to my actual computer I will up load pictures from my camera and also take pictures of all the items I got (everything is so packed down...I can't even begin to try to unpack it until we get back to Louisiana!!)

Vera