127sale, episode 3. In which a scenic overlook beckons.

Time for clarification.  Fleamarketing can take place at a garage sale, thrift shop, antique mall, vendor marketplace, and, of course, at a flea market--whatever that is.  Shopping for (not necessarily buying) something secondhand in a non-traditional store is what I'm talking about when I'm talking about fleamarketing.  I didn't grow up in an area where garage sales were the norm, nor where there were many thrift shops at the time.  Thrift shops have taken on a new cultural dimension (with divided thanks to Nate Berkus and Macklemore) and even have cache (they've got cache, baby) depending on their location and what designer wares are available.  But I digress (more of my treatise on what constitutes secondhand shopping another dreary day)...

You might be wondering, "143 miles?  3 days?"  Yup.  If you are planning a trip to the 127sale, be sure to allow plenty of time to travel a short distance.  We knew we wanted to fleamarket for 3 days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) and we knew we were going to start in Frankfort and end somewhere that would get us back to Nashville in time for the Opry show, so that's how we started our calculations.  About 50 miles per day with corresponding hotel stops.

Now, that was the tough part--hotels.  You don't want to go hotel-commando when you've already done so much careful planning.  I panic when we're down to the last 4 rolls of bathroom tissue in the pantry, so I'm not going to take a chance and only look for a hotel when I'm ready to call it a day. The internet and MapQuest were my lifesavers.  (Now I rely mostly on Apple's Maps app on my iPad and desktop.)  You already know how to use the internet if you're reading my blog, so let me get back to our journey.

We took these selfies (before everybody started calling self-portraits by that ridiculously-cute name) upon entering Lake Cumberland State Park on a bit of a break between sales.

We never overlook

a scenic overlook.

We're standing in the same spot--just facing opposite directions.  This was such a breathtaking stop and we are forever glad we pulled off the 127 to enjoy the view for a few minutes.

Never be afraid to veer off the beaten, pre(overly?)-planned path.  You never know what treasures await.

That being said, and the overlook not overlooked, there were lots of treasures awaiting us down the road as we wound our way back towards Tennessee.  If you look at the 127 on a map near Lake Cumberland, you'll see the very definition of a winding road.

Something I haven't mentioned yet is the road itself:  127 is a main thoroughfare that leisurely winds its way from Michigan down into Alabama, joining other arteries as it approaches large cities, but the whole time you're fleamarketing it's "the 127" and when it's not linking up with other routes, it's a smooth two-lane highway with just enough of a shoulder to allow locals to pass you as they journey about their business yet Sunday-driveable enough for fleamarketers to enjoy the business of their journey.

Never be afraid of

a complex sentence.

I think I told you I went a little crazy with my then-new digital camera.  It's just that I found some of the displays and objets d'(sale)art fascinating, especially juxtaposed with the scenery.  I'm sure the crib of life-size Barbie and gal pals eventually emptied to the delights of young doll lovers tagging along with their parents. The box of doll heads didn't leave me with the same optimism, but did yield a rather intriguingly creepy photograph.  If you have a fleamarket-reluctant spouse or partner, maybe the natural scenery or the photographic potential of the collections on display will help entice someone to join you for at least one day of the 127sale.

There were also warm, fried fresh-peach pies, dusted delicately with cinnamon sugar to entice the travel-weary and foodie alike.  More on those and horse-churned ice cream next time.