In one week, we are leaving to go to The Longest Yard Sale, also known as the Hwy 127 Yard Sale. It starts in Michigan and follows Hwy 127 through Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, ending in Alabama. It officially starts the first Thursday in August, this year it is Aug. 7. However, it doesn't really ramp up until people get off work on Friday.
It is impossible to do the entire trip in one weekend. When there are yard sales on both sides of the highway, traffic moves along bumper-to-bumper at 5 miles an hour, particularly in Tennessee. That is okay with me because it gives me more time to survey what is for sale and decide whether to stop or keep going.
Every year we come back with a story to tell. My husband's favorite story happened one year in Tennessee near Crossville. He saw a vendor in a cow pasture with several camera tripods for sale. He saw one that he absolutely had to have. I wanted him to keep moving because we didn't need it, plus we didn't even own a camera! He had to have it. He started dickering for it (you never accept the price they put on an item). He and the vendor were going back and forth on the price when a cameraman from HGTV came over and grabbed that tripod! It didn't even belong to the vendor!
This will be our first Longest Yard Sale with our RV. Can't wait!
[quote source="/post/13652/thread" timestamp="1437929976" author="@leslie"]In one week, we are leaving to go to The Longest Yard Sale, also known as the Hwy 127 Yard Sale. It starts in Michigan and follows Hwy 127 through Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, ending in Alabama. It officially starts the first Thursday in August, this year it is Aug. 7. However, it doesn't really ramp up until people get off work on Friday.
It is impossible to do the entire trip in one weekend. When there are yard sales on both sides of the highway, traffic moves along bumper-to-bumper at 5 miles an hour, particularly in Tennessee. That is okay with me because it gives me more time to survey what is for sale and decide whether to stop or keep going.
Every year we come back with a story to tell. My husband's favorite story happened one year in Tennessee near Crossville. He saw a vendor in a cow pasture with several camera tripods for sale. He saw one that he absolutely had to have. I wanted him to keep moving because we didn't need it, plus we didn't even own a camera! He had to have it. He started dickering for it (you never accept the price they put on an item). [font color="#e62a19"][strong][em]He and the vendor were going back and forth on the price when a cameraman from HGTV came over and grabbed that tripod! It didn't even belong to the vendor!
[/em][/strong][/font]
This will be our first Longest Yard Sale with our RV. Can't wait![/quote][p]Tripod didn't even belong to the vendor! [strong][em]That there is funny! [/em][/strong][/p][p]
[/p][p]Thanks for sharing this, Leslie. We're heading up to TN that very week, but will have to change the route. Sounds like a hoot...we may even bump into you haggling with a vendor!
[/p]
We haven't made any campground reservations because my husband and I haven't decided on where we want to start on the sale route. This week is deciding it for us. Louisville has had 2 straight weeks of hot weather - temps in the 90's with only 2 days of temps in the 80's. This hot weather is draining me.
The Longest Yard Sale starts in Michigan, so we are going to head there, then we will work our way south on Hwy 127. I hope that this really hot weather pattern will break by then. There is a large lake in Ohio, Grand Lake St. Mary near Celina. Now that we have a RV, we think we will enjoy it even more.
Several years ago, we started the Longest Yard Sale in Hudson, Michigan. Even though the weather was rotten, cold and rainy, we were charmed by this small town. They opened their city to yard salers.
I just visited the website for Hudson. This year, it looks like it is going to be a long party. They have events running Thursday through Sunday. We have done the Longest Yard Sale for several years, and never just stayed in one spot. We always kept moving to see what was next down the road. This year, we are discussing staying in Hudson for the whole weekend.
No matter how it works out, we are sure to have a good time.
I went to this sale a couple of years ago. I would call it the longest flea market, not the longest yard sale. I was disappointed to see endless professionals set up in people's yards and farmers fields.
I prefer yard sales where the home owner is trying to get rid of stuff, rather than professionals selling their yard sale finds at full market value.
Be be fair, I started in southern KY and headed south. So other parts might be better.
We have been doing this yard sale for 10 years now. We have learned to avoid the places where professional vendors set up. Our favorite places are churches where the congregation comes together to make money for the church - good food, good music, good deals ! PARTY! And if it's a Lutheran church or Catholic church, a beer garden!
The Yard Sale hasn't started yet, but we are having a good time already. We are staying at a campground near the Michigan International Speedway. There are a million lakes around here! We are trying to take it easy - trying is the operative word. The sale starts tomorrow, and we plan to hit it hard!
[quote source="/post/13987/thread" timestamp="1438777231" author="@leslie"]We have been doing this yard sale for 10 years now. We have learned to avoid the places where professional vendors set up. Our favorite places are churches where the congregation comes together to make money for the church - good food, good music, good deals ! PARTY! And if it's a Lutheran church or Catholic church, a beer garden!
The Yard Sale hasn't started yet, but we are having a good time already. We are staying at a campground near the Michigan International Speedway. There are a million lakes around here! We are trying to take it easy - trying is the operative word. The sale starts tomorrow, and we plan to hit it hard![/quote]Sounds like fun and your having a good time. I like the beer part the best!
Every year, we come home with a story. I have a story already. I dropped my cell phone when it was only about 18 inches off the ground. Now my phone is dead - dead - dead. I am using my husband's cell until mine is fixed. First time I have killed a phone.
[quote source="/post/14014/thread" timestamp="1438825858" author="@leslie"]Every year, we come home with a story. I have a story already. I dropped my cell phone when it was only about 18 inches off the ground. Now my phone is dead - dead - dead. I am using my husband's cell until mine is fixed. First time I have killed a phone.[/quote]Sorry about the phone but you never did post anything about all the junk (sorry treasures) you picked up on your yard sale trip. Was it worth it or more about the camping?
The trip was definitely worth it. Hubby and I have not learned how to take it easy while camping, now that we are retired. We came back exhausted. Even the dogs are tired. They are sleeping all day.
First, we stayed in Hudson, MI the whole yard sale weekend. When we weren't shopping, we were partying. Hudson had a lot of activities for yard salers. Plus, the temperatures were in the 60's and 70's.
We stayed at Irish Hills Campground in nearby Brooklyn, MI, $35/night for a water and electric site. There is a dump station on the way out, and the owner will bring a honey wagon out for $15. We had campsite #86, which had shade all day. The only downside is it was a sandy site, no grass at all. We tracked a lot of sand and dirt into the trailer. We want to go back sometime when it isn't yard sale. There are a lot of lakes in that part of the state. We did not have time to check them all out.
Now - the basic premise of The Longest Yard Sale is that one person's junk is another person's treasure. We snagged 2 glass topped tables for our balcony. Shabby chic - they don't match. I also got a collage to hang in my guest bedroom that was made by a local high school age girl. I got more stuff for the Camplite. Heaven knows I do not have ENOUGH STUFF! My husband also picked out some more stuff for himself, as well. We need MORE STUFF :)
On the way back to Louisville, we followed Hwy 127 south. We stopped at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park near Celina, Ohio to get some rest. We were able to get a campsite right on Grand Lake St. Mary. $25/night for an electric site. Potable water is on the way to the dump station.
We love lakes. There are at least 4 parks along the lake shore, with lovely shaded walks and beautiful lake views. Also, there was a fenced bark park for the dogs. Did we relax? Well, mentally, yes, but we did a lot of walking, so, physically, no.
The 4 hour trip back to Louisville was adventure-filled, oh yeah. As we were approaching the bridge across the river on Hwy 127, the microphone on the rear-view camera on the back of the trailer picked up a tick, tick, tick sound. Not good. Nowhere to stop on the bridge. Once in Kentucky, I looked for a place to stop and check out this noise. Then it stopped. No problemo. Yay!
No yay. A car pulled up next to us at a traffic light and told us we had a flat tire on the trailer. Hubby popped out to take a look. Oh yeah. Found a tire store, pulled in, and had the flat swapped out for the spare. We would have purchased a new tire on the spot, but he didn't carry what we needed.
Okay, back on the road again. Back to camper prison, otherwise known as the RV storage lot. I backed the Camplite into our slot with my husband for my spotter. While I was backing up, on the driver side, the trunnion bar on my E2 WDH popped out. We have been having problems with having to tighten the bolts frequently on the L-bar on which the trunnion bar rests, or it tilts backward, making it difficult to remove the bar. This time one of the bolts was broken. We thought okay, buy a new bolt. Taking it apart, my husband showed me that it is not an ordinary bolt, it was welded to a bracket. So now we have to replace the bracket. Our next trip is scheduled for the end of September, so we have time to take care of this.