Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder

Blog update with a video commentary from Mr. S....hilarious.

Tension in Anticipation of the "Big Event" is Rising.

(Mr. Shunshopper's Post)  Tomorrow we set out on our adventure.   I sense that the tension is rising, as Ms. Shunpiker flits from thought to thought.  See for yourself  the amazing list she has been putting together.  Who could have imagined that a yard sale, even a 600-miler, would have required such a list.

Learning my lesson from yesterday, I decided to devote some of my energy to mapping our routes.  As I mapped our route to Chattanooga, Ms S quickly rejected the more convenient and leisurely interstate route of travel.  Instead, in keeping with the spirit of our adventure, she insisted we travel the single-lane roads far less traveled through the mountains of western North Carolina.  I know when I am defeated, and I quickly recognize that the well-known comfort of interstate travel is not an argument I choose to make.  That, my friends is the ultimate shunpiking.

 Monday is recycling day in Chapel Hill.  This morning as I was leaving to go work, she instructed me to stop at neighborhood yards to remove newspapers from their streetside recycling containers.  Seems she thinks she needs newspaper to wrap  the rare treasures she anticipates purchasing.  Unfortunately, the Recycling man beat me to the punch, and the containers were all empty. Therefore, I was unable to rifle through their containers.  Wink, wink!  But not to be defeated in her quest, Ms S just returned with a load of newspapers she recycled from a recycling center.  Where there is a will, there is a way.  Where there is a yard sale, there you will find Ms. Shunpiker.

The Pressure is On

(Mr. Shunshopper's post) - It's Sunday, several days before we leave for the big "World's Longest Yard Sale" four-day (yes, four-day) event.  I was sitting on the sofa, minding my own business, doing some travel planning.  Yeah, that's the ticket, I thought.  I was doing advance planning for some fly fishing adventures on the Snake and Madison Rivers in Wyoming when we travel to Yellowstone in October.  Unfortunately, and thinking she noticed the contented smile on my face, Ms. S passed by and noticed that I was gazing at photos of trout streams, rather than mapping out yard sale travel.  She immediately leaped 6 inches off the ground, insisting that I forget trout streams, devoting all my travel attention to yard sales.  I think you can appreciate the stress I am now under - vendors start selling their wares (?) at 8:00 am and go until dark.  Your prayers will be appreciated.

The Countdown is On

(Ms. Shunpiker's post) — Shun·pik·ing, a verb, is derived from the word shun, meaning "to avoid", and pike, a term referring to turnpikes.  A person who avoids traveling interstates is called a shunpiker, thus the blog title. A shunpiker prefers interludes along lightly traveled country roads in order to experience the heartland of America. This blog chronicles Mr and Ms Shunpiker's first official shunpiking experience through the back roads and tiny towns of Tennessee, Kentucky, maybe Ohio.  Hold on. More drama.

While shunpiking, the Shunpikers simultaneously experience the World's Longest Yard Sale (WLYS), 690 miles to be exact, an annual 4-day event held in August along the rural roadsides of corridor U.S. 127 (a birthday gift-trip from Mr S to Ms S).  With this signage hanging proudly over my desk, it should give you a good indication of how my mind works and the level of anticipation. 

Officially, WLYS begins in Alabama runs thru Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, ending in Michigan.  In truth, there is no beginning or end.  One just jumps on and off anywhere they please. 

Historically, WLYS was an attempt on the part of organizers to get folks shunpiking and into their small towns.  There you go.

Follow the dotted line!

The Shunpikers begin their dualistic adventure on August 1 in Chattanooga, TN traveling in a northernly fashion. Armed with new sneakers, a cargo van, cooler, cameras, the Garmin, several rolls of toilet paper and lots of Franklins, the countdown begins. 

(Mr. Shunpiker's post) - shun-shopp-er is derived from the word shun, meaning "to avoid", and shopper, a term referring to shopping.  A person who avoids shopping with a vengeance is called a shunshopper, thus the blog title Ms S has not included in naming her blog. A shunshopper prefers interludes along lightly traveled country roads in order to respond to the call of the trout stream and to avoid shopping for any product. Getting poked in the eye with a very sharp stick is a fair trade off for evading the shopping experience, on or off road.  This blog chronicles Mr Shunshopper and Ms Shunpiker's first official shunpiking/shunshopper experience through the back roads and tiny towns of Tennessee, Kentucky, maybe Ohio.  Hold on. More drama.  

This just in - I walked in from a day of trout fishing with my sons in the mountains of western North Carolina.  I think we all know Ms S's penchant for "thriftiness" (generously described).  She announced to me that she was taking a wad of Franklin's and is prepared to spend it all.  At first I thought this was a prank, and I looked for a recording camera, knowing it was preserving my response.  Finding none, and still reeling from this startling revelation, I've concluded that she is off of her medication before we even begin this trip.  She's right - more drama.