Unclaimed Baggage

Since you can track a Tesla repair using the Tesla app, we were frustrated on Monday and Tuesday that they didn’t start the repair. However, that changed on Wednesday, when we got the news that they started to diagnose the car. We expected the work would take a while, so we spent the morning walking the Atlanta Beltline trail. Along the way, we checked out Ponce City Market, another thing that was built after Greg left Atlanta. For dinner, we went to a local sushi restaurant, a throwback to the days when Greg and Gail lived in San Francisco and would meet for sushi. We couldn’t make too many plans this week because we were waiting for the car. Finally, on Thursday afternoon the car was ready! In the end, the car was perfectly fine, except that charging at a faulty non-Tesla fast charger on Saturday morning caused an error that could only be reset by a service technician. But they thoroughly checked the electrical systems and gave us the all-clear to resume our trip. And fortunately, the repair was covered by warranty. We bought groceries and spent one last night with Craig and Gail. Not only was it great to spend so much time with good friends, but we greatly appreciated their hospitality when a 2-night visit turned into a 6-night visit.

We finally left Atlanta first thing Friday morning. The traffic was heavy, but it looked truly awful in the opposite direction into Atlanta. Of course, we stopped at a Buc-ee’s for breakfast brisket burritos. And since it’s one of the final Buc-ee’s along our trip, we got (more) souvenirs.

We will have to cut out some planned stops to make up for the lost days, but we still have time for unique stops on the way home. Our first side quest was today, where we stopped at Unclaimed Baggage. This is a unique store that we learned about from going down a YouTube rabbit hole. Airlines are required to hold onto lost luggage for 90 days. After that, they must compensate the passenger. The Unclaimed Baggage company buys any bags that they cannot find the original owners. The bags are shipped to their store in Scottsboro AL, a small town that is a couple of hours from anywhere else. There they sort the contents into several categories: sell, donate, recycle and trash. Anything that they can sell goes onto the shelves of their huge store. Everything is categorized: women, men, children, jewelry, electronics, souvenirs, etc. Inside the store, they have a small museum with odd things that have been discovered, like a full set of armor, bagpipes, a shofar, and a basketball signed by Michael Jordan.

So we went shopping. Amy had a plan, Greg did not. We have a couple of future trips planned that require special clothes that Amy isn’t likely to wear often. She quickly found a lot of options and headed to the changing room with more than the 10 item maximum. That was an immediate success. Later, Amy tried searching for everyday clothes, but they were pretty picked over. She realized that Unclaimed Baggage sells things that came from travelers, so it’s a great place to get something for your own travels. For everyday shopping, not so much.

Greg wasn’t quite as successful. The women’s section was much larger. We figured that women tend to pack more. But he did manage to find a belt and a pair of shoes.

Some sections of the store were quite a curiosity. There was a wall of wedding dresses. We really hope they were lost on the return trip, rather than before a wedding! The formal section was mostly bridesmaid’s dresses, plus a few dresses for the mother of the bride. They had a section with used stuffed animals. Those kids must be heartbroken about their lost stuffies! The jewelry case had a lot of wedding rings. We can’t figure out why someone would check a wedding ring in their luggage.

With all that we bought, including four dresses and two pairs of shoes, we spent less than we had spent at Buc-ee’s earlier in the day! It was definitely worth the stop at Unclaimed Baggage, since it was rare that we were nearby. It would be hard to justify the trip from farther away. Our biggest head scratcher is why they are located in a small rural town in Alabama, rather than near one of the huge airport hubs.

We continued driving to Tuscumbia AL, which is just a convenient stop for the night. We are next to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the birthplace of Helen Keller. We checked in and they had an exotic bird greeting us. We got a premium space next to a field with cows. They thought it was a bonus. They recognized us immediately as city slickers. Apparently the white cow will sometimes let you pet it. Not today!