100 MILE YARD SALE, YES PLEASE!
I don't know about you but I love a good yard sale, like I seriously schedule my life around them. The bigger the better! I even look for yard sales while on vacation, because well, why not?
If you're a fan than the 127 Yard sale is probably on your bucket list. I know it's on mine! I'll need a Uhaul when I finially convince my boyfriend to go.......
Until than, I started "prepping" by going to Pennsylvania's QIDC Corrected text: marathon 100 mile sale, which is next weekend. This is my third year attending and I'm so excited! You just never know what you'll find.
The first year we went we stayed in a quaint airbnb in Clearfield, which is about the halfway point and the biggest town on the route. Our host was wonderful and all her guests that weekend were also attending the sale. We now make it a tradition to book the same room every year. If you plan on coming from out of the area Clearfield is your best bet for Accommodations as they have several lodging options in town.
For our virgin trip in 2022, we literally left our house around 4:00 am and hit the first sale in Snow Shoe just as the sun was starting to rise. We shopped all day and made it to our airbnb around 4:00 pm. While you can follow the map available here, we just stayed on the main road and hit up every sale along the way. A few times we did venture off the main road if we saw a sign, but you don't need to. That year we only did one day and about half of the sale .
Much to my surprise the next day as we were leaving Clearfield to head home we stumbled upon an estate sale sign. The house numbers were hidden by bushes so the sale was not easily found and didn't get a lot of traffic. The entire contents of the house, including fixtures were for sale, and was the highlight of our trip. The home was a 1970's time capsule! Had I had more room I could have scored a KING COBRA wicker chair in perfect condition for a mere $10! I still have nightmares about leaving it behind! I literally made a pile so large, it took alot of rearranging, and driving home with items on our laps and behind our backs to get it all home. I even took the hanging light from the kitchen and the door knocker off the door. They gave me a bulk price on my pile and all in I paid a total of .37 cents per item ! To date it was my biggest and best thrifting investment!
Car haul 2022
My car was packed! We literally couldn't fit another item in it!
In 2023 we conquered the entire sale, following the same intiniery as the year before for Friday. Saturday we got up early and headed north. We encountered a few small towns in the beginning but after that the sales became further apart, sometimes as much as 10 miles thru dense forest with wildlife signs. Never did see an elk but I heard lots of stories from the locals! This year, we're going to skip the majority of the northern portion as we're going to continue to head north to Niagara Falls thrifting smalls all the way! Fortunately for us our sweet airbnb hostess is going to hold our yard sale loot so we don't have to worry about issues entering Canada.
While we didn't see any elk, they are there Car Haul 2023
If you plan on going there is some things you should know.
🌟The area is very rural, so while our cell phones (T-mobile) worked the majority of the time, expect cell service to be poor or non existent.
🌟Gas stations are few and far between, so fuel up before you go, and when you hit Clearfield.
🌟Bring plenty of cash, an ATM or bank is even rarer than a gas station.
🌟Make sure you wear comfortable footwear and clothing. Some sales are down long driveways, others up hills. Bring sunscreen, a hat, and bug spray.
PRO TIP: My boyfriend Gill and I do something I like to call "escorting". He drives, I jump out. If I walk, he moves the car. He pops the trunk. If he needs to park a distance, I call him and he comes and picks me up. As long as he has his phone for entertainment he is perfectly content in the car for 12 hours. Not to mention, he's had LOTS of practice!
🌟Bring snacks and drinks, while some sales do sell food/water, there's more that don't and you'll want to stay hydrated.
🌟Be realistic with your expectations of what you'll find. Walmart is the biggest retailer in this area so don't expect to find Gucci.
🌟Do expect to find anything and everything camouflage, hunting equipment, lots of kids clothing and toys, and vintage
🌟Bring a U haul or truck if you plan on buying furniture - you will encounter higher quality, solid wood, or handcrafted pieces.
🌟Lastly, and probably the most important of all - if you see a port a potty (conveniently located along the route) use it. Bathrooms are few and far between!
For more information about their sale, and complete directory, visit the official website and join their Facebook group.
I'd love to hear from you - tell me about marathan yard sales in your area - who knows, I might need to plan a visit!
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