Finding treasures along a new trail in southern Nebraska

However two weeks in the past, I gave up the Junk Jaunt to go to Aldie, Virginia, to see my three grandchildren march within the band, play soccer and run cross-country. That was the one weekend this fall when all three occasions would occur at residence, at their highschool.

Then I struck gold. I found the eleventh annual Path of Treasures, a three-day, 238-mile yard sale and flea market spanning Freeway 136 in southern Nebraska. It was set for the weekend after the Junk Jaunt.

Shortly after dawn final Saturday, I headed south on Freeway 10 with Lori Potter, the retired veteran Kearney Hub reporter who launched me to the Junk Jaunt in 2009. We had no Path of Treasures information itemizing the promoting websites, however we figured we’d see indicators alongside the way in which.

First cease: Franklin. I remembered Franklin. It’s the place my brother, my son Matt and I ended for a burger on the Frosty Mug after we drove from Cleveland to Los Angeles (through 5 Main League Baseball stadiums) in the summertime of 2001. We’d deliberate to take Freeway 24 throughout Kansas, however Matt mentioned he needed to see Nebraska, so we detoured north to Freeway 136 as a substitute.

Lori and I skipped the Frosty Mug this time. We craved collectibles, not milkshakes. Smack dab in the midst of an intersection in Franklin, we noticed a yellow hand-scrawled signal no greater than a dandelion that mentioned, “Storage sale,” with an arrow pointing … Properly, we couldn’t inform. Guessing, we headed west, turned right here, turned there, circled round and round, however we by no means discovered a storage sale, so we gave up, rejoined Freeway 136 and went west.

To Lori, who grew up on a farm 10 miles south of Wilcox, this area was as well-worn as a pair of beat-up denims. In Naponee, she confirmed me an previous octagonal church (now a city customer heart) and the location of a now-demolished highschool. I discovered that Naponee was the hometown of David Janssen, star of the ‘60s TV collection “The Fugitive.” Better of all, we noticed a blue and white Path of Treasures signal directing us to 2 promoting websites.

The primary was a big shed providing jewellery, wood indicators, toys and candles, all at cut price costs. Throughout the road, a retiree had set out a glut of instruments, dishes, tea kettles and Christmas ornaments. Curiously, crowds have been few. We’d rolled in at 10:30 a.m., however the girl within the shed mentioned we have been the primary customers of the day. Lastly, a couple of extra automobiles pulled up. A kind of customers, a Junk Jaunt veteran, was additionally sampling this sale for the primary time. She was stunned on the sparse crowds, too.

Again within the automobile, we subsequent stopped at a barn the place I discovered a fall swag for my door for $2. Then it was on to Republican Metropolis, the place distributors circled across the Circle Drive like coated wagons stopped for the evening. I discovered a mirror for $10 and a comfy down jacket for $15.

ln Alma, we crept down Principal Road however noticed simply two Path of Treasures websites. We stopped at each. After a fast Subway sandwich, we adopted Path of Treasures indicators like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs. They led us to a spot outdoors of city with a sprawling shed and out of doors tables filled with a lot stuff that it regarded like a miniature Tiede’s. I discovered somewhat pine inexperienced chest for my visitor room for $18.

We paused for a last-of-the-season glimpse of Harlan Lake and began residence, heading east on Freeway 136. We crept alongside behind two clumsy, noisy, burping items of farm equipment. Out of the blue, Lori turned north on a mud highway to indicate me the farm the place she grew up.

This detour was a treasure, too. I liked watching the rumpled land roll up and down like light waves on the ocean. I liked seeing parched, withered corn stalks, their heads bowed, ready for the mix. A couple of combines snaked by way of fields that day, however not many. Not but.

What a Saturday. It was completely different from the Junk Jaunt, however no much less memorable.