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| This family on the yard sale route was ready for business. |
This past weekend I attended my first (hopefully of many) multi-mile yard sales. We camped for the weekend at
Oak Orchard Marina and Campground in Savannah, New York near the Montezuma end of the
Route 90 50 Mile Garage Sale Route and turned the trip into a little midsummer getaway. I highly recommend exploring the
Finger Lakes region if you are going to hit this mega garage sale which is held the last weekend in July every year and is confirmed for July 28-29 in 2018. It's a beautiful area with lots to offer in addition to miles of yard sale bargains.
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| Oak Orchard Marina and Campground |
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| Our home for the weekend. |
This is what I learned at the Route 90 50 Mile Garage Sale:
1. 50 miles is a lot of yard sales. On Saturday, we started promptly at 8:00 AM and hunted nonstop until 4:00 PM and only covered 25 of the 50 miles on the garage sale route. You can end up walking for blocks at a time when you hit a cluster of sales along the route so wear comfortable shoes. I wore new shoes that I THOUGHT were comfortable when I tried them on and ended up buying a pair of flip-flops along the way because my toes were so sore.
2. This sale runs from Homer, NY to Montezuma, NY along the Route 90 Scenic Byway that hugs the eastern shore of
Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes Region. Route 90 is a two lane road. You can drive in either direction along the sale route. If we go back next year, I would love to stay near the midway point on the route which happens to be the quaint little town of
Aurora (population of 724 according to the 2010 census). That way we could cover 25 miles of the sale route in one direction the first day and 25 miles in the other direction on the second day. However, there are no camping accommodations in, or close to, Aurora so we'd have to stay in a Bed and Breakfast or rent a private vacation rental, and I am committed to getting Wanda, our vintage travel trailer, out as often as I can.
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| It's a pull over and park when you see a sale kind of system. |
3. Plan your picking carefully. There were a lot more sellers out on Saturday at the Montezuma end of the yard sale route. We only went out treasure hunting on Saturday, but we had to travel along the garage sale route to get to our
Water to Wine vineyard boat tour (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) on Sunday, and we noticed there were not as many sellers out on the second day. I don't have any first-hand knowledge about whether the bargains were better on Day Two, but I suspect they may have been judging from the smaller number of sellers and buyers who were out doing business then.
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| Our transportation to the wineries on Sunday. |
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Such a fun way to get to the wine tastings.
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4. You don't need to pack a lunch on garage sale day unless you really want to. There are lots of organizations set up along the sale route with a variety of yummy food offerings at reasonable prices. Between the four of us, we had pierogies, Italian sausage and peppers, hotdogs, and BBQ chicken while we were picking. All of it was delicious and easy to eat on the run.
5. What you won't find too many of along the route is restrooms. We eventually ended up finding facilities at a gas station along the route, but we were several hours into the trek before we happened upon the place. I don't really have a solution for this problem, but it's something you should be aware of heading into the experience.
6. Dress in layers. We were stoked about the forecast for the weekend of our trip because there was no rain predicted and high temperatures were only supposed to reach 77° on Saturday, our shopping day. The forecast turned out to be accurate, and the weather was gorgeous all weekend. However, 77° with no cloud cover along an asphalt road heats things up pretty quickly. Shedding the flannel I threw over my outfit in the morning was an absolute necessity by noon.
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| "Boy, it's hot out here." |
7. If you decide to start at the southern end of the garage sale route, you'll be in
Homer which is about 40 minutes from Ithaca. There are more lodging opportunities in this area than there are in Aurora or Montezuma. If I started at this end of the route next time, I would stay at
Pine Creek Campground, but there are plenty of hotels and other lodging options here, too.
8. If you want to eat out while you are in the region, there are many delicious options. During the weekend, we ate at
Parker's Grille and Tap House ,
Deerhead Lakeside Restaurant and Bar, and
The Farmers Market Buffet at
Del Lago Casino. You could try any one of these establishments (I highly recommend all three.), or you can do some internet research and discover a gem of your own.
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| Deerhead Lakeside Restaurant and Bar. Great food and an awesome view. Ask for a window seat. |
9. Don't worry about packing any wine for your trip. There are over 100 wineries in the Finger Lakes Region. You can visit them by
boat,
van, or
Volkswagen Bus. Just make sure you check some of them out while you are there.
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| Great spot for photos when you get off the boat at The Thirsty Owl winery. |
10. Finally, bring a pickup truck or a car with plenty of trunk space because there are tons of great bargains to be had. I found all of these great items, and tons I haven't shelved or listed yet, while I was there. I am so glad I followed through on this trip. My "working vacation" ended up being an enjoyable weekend getaway for me and my traveling companions. The only problem is I have a dilemma now. Do I go back to the Finger Lakes next summer for the
Route 90 50 Mile Garage Sale or head south for the
127 Yard Sale? Only time will tell.
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