Dean and I took our vacation this year along Highway 141. Much like Route 66 of old, Highway 141 has become something of a legend. Once a year people that live along this road from Grimes to Manning hold garage sales on a specified weekend and literally thousands of people flock out to hunt for bargains. This year the big event was August 6 and 7. Dean took a couple vacation days, we hauled the back seats out of the van, and were on the road to bargains by 7:30 AM. This year our friend Brad came too, which made the day even more fun.
The garage sales actually started before Highway 141 in Ogden, which had about a dozen. At the very first sale I saw a 9-foot tall blowup snow globe for only $35. I know, right? I decided to be a responsible garage saler and not buy something that large at the very first stop--it would have taken up a lot of room in the van and I wanted to be considerate. I'm a saint like that.
The next sale was located literally in a ditch right by Highway 141. Even though it was a somewhat hazardous place to have a sale, we stopped anyway. I bought an antique chemistry set and microscope. Cool.
After that we hopped on the highway and the headed towards Grimes. At the very next sale, my husband bought a huge tent. He obviously isn't as considerate as I am when it comes to conserving van space. At the next sale I said "screw it" and bought a recumbent exercise bike. And then the gloves were off. We bought turkey fryers, kids' clothes, Barbie dolls, musical CD's, a pair of Italian shoes--you name it, we purchased it.
Our friend Brad's wife Kim had to work that day, so we kept sending her photos of us having fun. She wasn't amused. We told her we would pick her up at 4:00 for Harcourt citywide sales so around 3:00 we headed home. This took us once again through Ogden and guess what? The big snow globe was still there. I offered the man $30 and he accepted. Now came the challenge--where were we going to put this big item as the van was pretty darn full. The only place open was Dean's lap--so he held the huge box the final few miles into town. By the time we reached Dayton, his nose was pretty squished, but it was so worth it to know we had something that would DEFINITELY win us the Christmas decorating contest this year!
We then switched vehicles (who has time to unload treasures when a whole new bunch of sales open in just ten minutes?), grabbed Kim, and headed to Harcourt for more garage saling fun. It is at this point we realize we just might need therapy. Dean, for one, is under the delusion that he is an American Picker and we had to keep reminding him that he is actually a counselor at a youth shelter instead.
Harcourt was so much fun that we decided that all four of us should hop on Highway 141 the next day as well, this time heading in the opposite direction. We promised we would only sale for two hours, as we all had many commitments that day. Yeah, right. It was a real challenge for me to get home in time for Josie's parade at 1:30!
A good time was had by all. We all agreed that heading towards Grimes produced better sales than the other direction. We also all agreed that the very best sale was in Granger, where they are trying to raise money for a new football stadium/track. The parents in charge of the fundraising had an "all sports" garage sale where parents donated used athletic equipment and all the money raised went towards to field. We bought 8 pairs of shoes, as well as bats, bags, batting gloves, softball gloves, and other "stuff" at this sale. Not only did we save a ton of money on athletic equipment for the kids, Woodward-Granger Schools raised some much-needed funds for their pet project. I think this would be a great fundraiser for the Booster Club during Dayton Garage Sale Days or even during Labor Day weekend. I know we could donate a ton of stuff. Anyone interested?
We've already decided to take this trip again next year--unless we are all in garage sale rehab by that time. Where else can you get a pink typing table for two bucks or a dinosaur costume that roars for only $3. Highway 141: it's addicting, but so, so much fun.
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