This shows the beginning of our set up for the Highway 40 yard coming this week. The sale is an annual event and it follows old US 40. Hundreds of folks set up and thousands shop along the route.
We’ll keep you posted as the week goes on. Sher and I always enjoy this event. We missed it last year due to Covid-19.
One of our typical setups
This has been a rainy day in Central Indiana. We are back in Indiana getting ready for one of the big antique shows we try to do every year. Of course, we didn’t get to go last year. Though the Highway 40 is really a very big yard sale, we do very good selling our vintage items and bigger items that we have found in our travels.
It becomes a big clean out the garage month for us. We set up at the Dunreith Baptist Church east of Greenfield, Indiana. It is such a great place for us to set up. The pastor and his wife are very nice and helpful. They let us park the RV right behind our display, which is so nice because we don’t have to travel every night.
Highway 40, also known as Old National Highway, is a historic road and fun to travel just to see the old buildings and historic sites. This year the sale will be from June 2 to June 6th. It starts in Baltimore, MD and continues thru St. Louis, MO. It draws lots of people and some interesting characters. We enjoy doing this show.
This is a novel way to make a living, or at least provide a clever side hustle. We saw this fellow at a town festival where we had set up as vendors. He showed up at noon on Saturday (of the weekend festival) and just walked around. He did not say a word, but every so often would freeze in a position and hold it for several minutes, thus becoming a big plastic toy soldier.
The Florida Flywheelers is an antique tractor club located in central Florida. Twice a year, in January and February, the Flywheelers have huge five day tractor shows coupled with flea markets and swap meets on the over 200 acre facility.
Yes, this is a motorized bath tub.
The grounds are so large that most people drive around the site. While golf carts are the most prevalent transportation, other “custom” means of travel are also seen. There is a nearly constant parade of vehicles driving down the aisles where vendors and tractor exhibitors are set up. You never know what you’ll see driving around!
We and millions of others around the world are intimately aware of the terms shelter in place, isolation, quarantine, stay at home and social distancing. Trump and Pence and his experts are starting to hint about “re-opening” the country.
Our 2019 Highway 40 Yard Sale set-up
All of the Flea Markets and Shows we usually go to are closed due to COVID-19 mandates. One of our best is the annual Highway 40 Yard Sale which follows US 40 across the country. It is held in May.
Even if things are “open” in May, will it be safe for us to be out mixing at all with the public, no matter the conditions? Right now we are thinking we best not get out until there is a proven treatment for this killer virus.
What information/news is going to be enough for you to get back to “normal” activities? Will we ever see BC normal again? (BC = before COVID-19)
The National Road Highway 40 yard sale starts in St Louis and follows US Route 40, also known as the National Road, and ends in Baltimore some 820 miles later. The “yard sale” refers to the many places along Route 40 where for four or five days hundreds of folks set out their wares for sale. This year’s sale ran from May 29th to June 2nd.
We enjoy staying in the RV at the sales. We tarp the tables at night.
We set up at Liberty Baptist Church in Dunreith, Indiana. Dunreith is located between Greenfield and Richmond. Pastor Tim graciously opens his church grounds to vendors. Shoppers can pull into the church parking lot, thus avoiding the sometimes dangerous road side parking. This year on Friday and Saturday there were 10 different vendors at the church, selling a wide variety of things.
Start planning now for next year’s sale. There are lots of vendors between Richmond and Greenfield, including the ones at Liberty Baptist Church in Dunreith. We had a very good sale, so come see us next year! You never know what treasures we’ll have for you to discover.
Hi folks. I’m Arvey RV, and I carry those two Roadtirement people around the country. I decided that since they have a blog I might as well hop on and give you my side of the story.
I started out somewhere in North Indiana at a factory named Thor. I was bought by the Roadtirement people and boy were they funny. They had just had a trailer, so it was new for them to drive something like me. I’m not big like some of my cousins, and I soon found out that the people would squeeze me into parking places and lots that were made for cars. They kept saying how nice it was to be able to drive me to the store or theater or whatever/wherever they wanted to go.
I knew right away that I was in for quite the adventure. Lots of my friends take their people out for short trips close to where they are usually parked. But my people were going to be driving me around a lot of the time. In addition to visiting their kids and grandkids, they were talking about things called auctions, flea markets, antique stores and festivals. I knew that I would be stopping at places other than campgrounds!
Check back often. I’ve got lots of stories to tell!
Arvey RV
Sher and I have been at our +55 RV Resort in south Texas for a week now. We are just loving the weather, even though most days have seen consistent winds in the 20 – 25 MPH range. Temps are in the 70’s during the day. We are kind of waiting to swim until we get a sunny day with light breezes.
Beautiful skies and waving palms make for a pretty view from our RV.
We are not that far from where Pres. Trump made his ‘trip to the border’. Local TV news really enjoyed all the hoopla involving the movements of Trump and his entourage.
The guard shack at the gated entrance of our park. Gates are closed at night, IDs required for entrance.
We really like the park here in Harlingen, Texas. We feel safe, as there is a guard gate manned 24/7. The park is really large. There are actually several miles of roads to walk and bike if you wind your way through. Sher and I are both riding our bikes and walking daily. Most exercise we have had in a long time. We both have commented that we do feel better.
Inside vendors at the local Don Wes Flea Market
We took a trip to a local Flea Market this past Wednesday. There were some vendors with used flea market type goods. However most of established vendors inside the buildings were selling a wide variety of new products. We bought some bananas, oranges and a pineapple. The vendor had a pineapple coring machine, so it was ready to eat when we got back.
Well, gotta go. There is another dance tonight we have to get ready for. Park Place Estates always has something going on.
Sher and I have been looking forward to an evening of New Orleans jazz music as well as some good food. We went to the east end of the French Quarter to do some shopping to begin our evening. The eclectic nature of a lot of the shops makes the exploration of them a real treat. We did catch the tail end of the French Market, a large open air lot, some of which was under roof. Many vendor booths were filled with folks selling their wares. You would see everything from imported T-shirts and other clothing to hand made jewelry, leather, or other quality art work.
Under the roof portion of the French Market’s Flea Market. You’ll find everything from quality hand crafted jewelry to cheap imported trinkets.
Frenchmen Street is just outside of the French Quarter’s Decatur Street. A short two blocks worth, Frenchman Street is known for its live music clubs. The first bar we walked into was Bamboula’s. This venue used to be an old printing shop, and the ceiling and support posts were covered with pressed tin panels. The band was already playing so we sat down and had a drink. During the next two sets we enjoyed the music and the ambiance of the bar.
The band at Bamboula’s
Dueling fiddles at Bamboula’s
After we finished our drinks at Bamboula’s we struck out to explore Frenchmen Street. As we had arrived early several of the jazz bars were either not yet open or the band had not yet arrived or started to play. There were not a lot of people out on the sidewalks yet, and the places that were open were not really into the evening yet. We sat for about 5 minutes at one bar after having to ask for a menu. No one came by so we left. This actually was a blessing as we then went to the Maison at 508 Frenchmen Street.
Signs on Frenchmen Street of both the jazz clubs we enjoyed!
The Baby Giants Jazz Band
The Maison was a great venue for the bands we heard. The Baby Giants Jazz Band was playing when we went into tho the bar. These guys rocked the bar with some amazing jazz. I especially appreciated the trombone, as I used to play. The numbers performed offered several chances for instrumental solos. This always gives you a chance to truly appreciate individual talent. We started with a couple of tequila cocktails called “Dixie Revival”. Oh were they good! We then ordered our meals. The food was excellent and very reasonably priced.
Today we headed to Galveston Island from the town of Winnie, home to the large flea market known as Larry’s Trading Days. The direct route took us down to the Bolivar Peninsula, a very narrow spit of land with the Gulf on one side. Most of the way the road ran right next to the Gulf shore.
We stopped at the sign for a historical marker and ended up at a fascinating park that was once an artillery battery that was built in 1925. Fort Travis had several gun emplacements and several magazines.
There’s our RV on the ferry
View of Galveston from the ferry
We then went on down to the free ferry that runs daily from the south end of Bolivar across the water to Galveston Island. We had a little delay for the ferry, as we did not make the cut for the first ferry that came to the dock and had to wait for the second ferry boat. The ferry ride was really pretty cool as we saw lots of large ocean going cargo ships.
This is a Pilot boat that leads the huge cargo ships in and out of the harbor
Sher and I are planning on seeing the sights here in Galveston for at least a day or two. We’ll let you know what we see, and we’ll give you all another campground review as well.
Roadtirement 