In August 2023 we made another kayak/hiking trip to North Central Tennessee. While my wife kayaked, I visited an old high school friend in Cookeville, Tennessee. It also happened to be the weekend of the famed US 127 “World’s Longest Yard Sale” which covers 690 miles through six states. I took advantage of grabbing a few shots. Sadly, my favorite motel, The Jordan Motel in Jamestown was both booked solid for that weekend and was also consumed by dozens of folks selling their wares in the yard sale.
Cookeville is a fun little town. A few murals, some cool railroad stuff and a few other things that make it a cool place.
One of the more unique finds in Cookeville is the Bicycle Arch (actually called “Spokes”) at the entrance to the Cookeville Depot Museum. This sculpture was installed in 2018 as a collaborative effort between Art Round Tennessee in association with the Rails to Trails. Local sculptor Brad Sells created the bicycle-laden arch. The actual sculpture is a 36-foot-wide, 14-foot-tall arch that spans the bike path entrance to the Tennessee Central Heritage Rail Trail, which is currently a 5.3 mile long trail, but is envisioned to run about 19 miles from Cookeville and eventually all the way to Baxter, Tennessee. The arch has LED lights that sparkle after dark making a unique night-time artwork to visit.
On the drive along US Route 127 from Jamestown to Cookeville, there is a small community called Grimsley which is home to a HUGE lot full of old classic cars. From the highway one can see many of them, but the lot goes on forever and the cars seemingly never end. I got a few pictures and had to do some research to determine what exactly is going on. Turns out the place has a website run by a guy named Murf. Its called under1981.com and they have many of their cars listed on the site. But I thought I would show off some of Murf’s toys as seen from the highway.
While in Cookeville, I joined my friend Russ for a good Cajun Seafood dinner at Bubba Gandy Seafood. It is located off the main drag, but is worth the search. I was delighted to walk up to order and see all of the fresh seafood sitting on ice right in front of my eyes. And the food was excellent!!
Then there was the World’s Largest Yard Sale going on for miles and miles along US Route 127.
And just a few other photos from this two day trip
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You can get my books online! The series now has five books and I am working on books six and seven. Book Six will be all about murals from all over the country!! Watch for them in late 2024 or early 2025.