Find great deals at center for lost luggage

This is the time of year when I try to schedule a flight to Huntsville, Ala., where my travels began going downhill.

It had nothing to do with delayed flights, something to do with lost luggage and a lot to do with the winter ski season. Here's why.

Just outside Huntsville in Scottsboro, Ala., is the Unclaimed Baggage Center, a retail outlet that purchases lost luggage from airlines after the carrier gives up trying to find the owner.

During the first week in November, the store stages an incredible sale of winter clothing and ski equipment.

Winter-sports enthusiasts can find bargains that include designer ski clothes, down jackets and top-of-the-line ski equipment -- some of it used and some of it new. And all of it priced way below value.

Last year, my son, Cory, became the proud owner of a pair of Rossignol Bandit skis that were so cheap he almost felt like he had stolen them.

One business traveler passing through Scottsboro found a surprising deal a few years ago.

He picked up a pair of ski boots for his wife, who had lost hers on a flight from Colorado.

She got a real kick out of the boots when she found her name stamped on the inside and realized these were the same boots she had lost a year earlier.

The store isn't just for the ski enthusiast.

The merchandise runs the gamut from everyday clothing and luggage to expensive jewelry and camera equipment and is a virtual treasure trove.

Every year, more than a million items pass through the store, which covers a 50,000-square-foot area and employs more than 110 people. Truckloads of lost luggage and unclaimed cargo arrive from airports and airlines daily.

Some of the merchandise is typical of a well-stocked department store.

Clothing items range from still-tagged cashmere sweaters and designer suits to cut-off jeans and tank tops.

Bins hold cameras, CDs, stuffed animals and books.

Strollers, car seats and even furniture might be on the floor.

During one visit I found six different cures for head lice, a 7-pound can of fat-free chocolate pudding and a box of laundry detergent that could have kept my Maytag cleaning for a year without restocking.

But it's the off-the-wall items that are the most intriguing.

Employees have uncovered precious jewels including a 40.95-carat emerald and a 5.8-carat diamond ring appraised at $46,000.

In one shipment they found a Nikon camera made specifically for a NASA space shuttle mission (it was returned to NASA).

In another shipment, Egyptian artifacts dating back to 1500 B.C. were uncovered.

Suits of armor, parachutes and mummies have also surfaced.

A rattle found in another load doesn't sound like a big deal. But this was no baby toy.

It was attached to a diamondback snake who had no intention of becoming a pair of pumps with a matching bag.

Bargain hunters have bagged some amazing prizes, including original oil paintings, one-of-a-kind Persian rugs and even an occasional wedding dress.

One little girl became the proud owner of a Barbie doll that lost its head. The girl's mother nearly lost hers when she realized the head was stuffed with $100 bills.

While it's impossible for the Unclaimed Baggage Center to track down individually lost luggage, that doesn't mean your missing bag didn't find a home in Alabama. Check out the Web site at www.unclaimedbaggage.com and register your e-mail for future events.

If you happen to be in the Huntsville area and feeling like a unique shopping experience, take a short drive to the tiny town of Scottsboro. You might not find the camera you lost on that flight to Las Vegas … but then again, you might.