Wes Modes
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One of the last things we do before we launch
One of the last things we do before we launch is find a new green friend to join us on our journey. #HousePlant #BostonFernMaybe #Shantyboat
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Shantyboat on the Allegheny
Shantyboat on the Allegheny. Thanks to Evan from Brilliant Marina whose local knowledge and extensive river experience helped a lot. #shantyboat #allegheny
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Hazel at the bow of Evan’s boat on the Allegheny
Hazel at the bow of Evan’s boat on the Allegheny. This is an important step for her. You know it’s only over the last couple years that Hazel became at all comfortable with boats. #cattledogsofinstagram #allegheny
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What I look like after a cross-country drive and repeated visits to Home Despot
What I look like after a cross country drive and then repeated trips to Home Despot to fix the boat. #shantyboat #boatrepair #diy #homedespot
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When you park right next to the tracks
When you park right next to the tracks you experience this disconcerting phenomena. Which looks like this late at night… #train #railroad #shantyboat #woowoo
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For the first time in a week I have a moment to relax
Sunset over the swollen Allegheny River and for the first time in a week I have a moment to relax and smoke a cigar. #endofthetrail allegheny #Pittsburgh #PGH
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Hangin with the PGH boat punx on the swollen Allegheny River.
Hangin with the PGH boat punx at Brilliant Marina on the swollen Allegheny River. #BoatPunx #FloodStage #shantyboat #Marina
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Arrived in Pittsburgh to a warm welcome
Arrived in Pittsburgh to a warm welcome by boat punk friends. #RoadTrip #Pittsburgh #PGH
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Welcome to America.
Welcome to America. Apparently, this is the largest cross in the world. Interestingly, I drove by its only stiff competition in Groom, Texas on this trip. As if God is guiding me to the most kitschy and monumental symbols of His faith. #Crosses #ChristianNation #roadsideamerica #illinois #effingham
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Battened Down. Finally.
After 6 years, I finally got tired of all the shantyboat stuff walking all over the place when I drove. #boatrepair #shantyboat
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Big storm over Vandalia, Illinois
Big storm over Vandalia, Illinois #roadtrip #shantyboat #stormacomin
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Accusatory look. I don’t think either Squirlsey or I thought this trip would take six days.
Accusatory look. I don’t think either Squirlsey or I thought this trip would take six days. #AngrySquirrel #RoadTrip #RoadService #CrossCountry
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Middle of the night truckstop shantyboat repair
Middle of the night truckstop epoxy work to repair the damaged hull of the shantyboat. #epoxy #boatrepair #shantyboat #roadtrip
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First real meal of any kind in three days of travel at the Sunnyside Diner in OKC
First real meal of any kind in three days of travel at the Sunnyside Diner in Oklahoma City. I love stumbling upon places like this. Great peeps, good prices, excellent food. #RoadTrip #Diner #OKC
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There are a lot of abandoned places in the American Southwest
There are a lot of abandoned travel service places in the southwest, gas stations, motels, restaurants. Walking around on the weed-shattered, glass-strewn pavement, the sun pouring through dusty windows, hearing no sound but the crickets in the encroaching vegetation has a very post-apocalyptic feel. #RoadTrip #PostApocalyptic #Route66
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Sometimes you move over the same landscape so many times that you get a sense of déjà vu.
Sometimes you move over the same landscape so many times that you get a sense of déjà vu. I’m nearly certain I have taken this exact same photograph before. #shantyboat #Déjàvu #DejaTruckStop
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30 minutes out of my way to Lake Havasu City to someplace that had fiberglass supplies
30 minutes out of my way to Lake Havasu City to someplace that had the fiberglass supplies I needed to repair the boat. #boatrepair #diy #shantyboat
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As if we need additional confirmation that I am an idiot. Let’s be clear…
As if we need additional confirmation that I am a fucking idiot. Let’s be clear, this was not just a crazy unforeseen unfortunate highway event. I am 100% incontrovertibly unarguably and completely responsible. Mistakes were made: 1) I didn’t get the wheel bearings re-greased and repacked as part of our regular maintenance. 2) When I…
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Chuvas Senior gets replacement tire and rim. Junior packs new bearings with marine grease.
Chuvas Senior gets replacement tire and rim. Junior packs new bearings with marine grease. Meanwhile all the old bearings are replaced and repacked. Chuvas told me he had been in King City for 30 years and spoke little English. He moved from Michoacan to Mexico City where he worked 27 years as a mechanic. #roadtrip…
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: California artist will capture life on the Ohio River in a homemade shantyboat
Pittsburgh Post-Gazetteby Christian Snyder Backyards tell stories, Wes Modes says, and Modes is willing to listen while floating by on what looks like a hut on a raft. On Wednesday, the California-based artist will set off on a shantyboat from the head of the Ohio River to explore the communities along the more than 950-mile…
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Literally lost the tire on the trailer while driving to the tire shop.
Fuuuuck. Literally lost the tire on the trailer while driving to the tire shop. And by lost, I mean lost. No where to be found. #TrailerTroubles #RoadRepair #RoadTrip
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Shantyboat Drydock
In early June, we took the shantyboat to the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard to do some work on the hull. This requires us to launch the boat in the harbor, motor to the boat lift, and get pulled out. We spent a long long weekend repairing dings in the hull, replacing the skeg elbows, painting…
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The annual posting of the punch list ceremony has been completed. Almost everything checked off.
The annual posting of the punch list ceremony has been completed. Almost everything checked off. #Punchlist #ToDoList #ToDo #Shantyboat
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Squirlsey getting excited for trip.
Squirlsey getting excited for trip. #squirrels #3leggeddog #ToughAsNails
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Rebuilt and refinished the shantyboat’s 5-year old camp stove. New crackle finish.
Rebuilt and refinished the shantyboat’s 5-year old camp stove. New crackle finish. #diy #boatrepair #shantyboat #tripprep
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New art in the Shantyboat gallery thanks to our supporters
New art in the Shantyboat gallery thanks to our supporters. #shantyboat #artgallery #whitejesus #artinsitu
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Lookin good a few days before we depart
Lookin good a few days before we depart. #shantyboat #boatprep #ComingForYouOhioRiver
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Definitely one of those things that only a boat captain would care about, new hull numbers
Shantyboat paint! You know you’ve made the right decision when you are done and it looks like it should always have been this way. #shantyboat #diy #boatrepair Definitely one of those things that only a boat captain would care about, new hull numbers. Six years ago when I went to the department of motor vehicles…
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There is something strangely comforting about auto shops
There is something strangely comforting about hanging around an auto shop that comes of much practice with this project. Perhaps it is the comfort of knowing that whatever problems you may be experiencing, you are in mostly competent hands. #AutoShop #Shantyboat #SecretHistory #RoadRepairs
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Secret History at Santa Cruz Ebb & Flow
Thanks to friends who hung out with us and sent us photos of the shantyboat at Ebb & Flow River Arts Festival at the Tannery in Santa Cruz. Ebb & Flow River Arts Festival is a celebration of our local San Lorenzo River and brings together artists from all over the county. The work of…
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Less terror: The shantyboat is fitted for a new winch post
The Shantyboat takes a field trip down to Watsonville to be fitted for a new winch post. In the meantime the old one is cut off, and the shantyboat is secured by a janky system of ratchet straps. Roy Large of Large’s Fabrication made us a new winch post for the trailer and fixed the…
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Michael Swett – Just One Thing at a Time
This is an excerpt of my interview with Michael Swett. Michael talked to us about the homeless encampment along the banks of the river.
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Important work before we put the boat in the water
Important work before we put the boat in the water. Thanks to Jess for coming by to help. #boatrepair
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Always disconcerting to see a 7000 pound boat hanging in the middle of the air.
Always disconcerting to see a 7000 pound boat hanging in the middle of the air. #boatrepair #drydock
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Vrinda Quintero – To Me the River Is
Excerpt of interview with Vrinda Quintero about growing up in Venezuela and living along the banks of the San Lorenzo River.
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Jefe supervising the workers.
Jefe supervising the workers. #boatrepair #diy #shantyboat #UnionMandatedCoffeeBreak Jefe supervising the workers. #boatrepair #diy #shantyboat #UnionMandatedCoffeeBreak
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Replacing frayed keel knuckles. Easier than we feared.
Replacing frayed keel knuckles. Easier than we feared. #diy #boatrepair #skegs
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Benzy paints the underside of the shantyboat trailer.
Benzy paints the underside of the shantyboat trailer. #boatrepair #boattrailer #shantyboat
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Jeremiah painting under the boat.
Jeremiah painting under the boat. #secrethistory #shantyboat #boatrepair #hullpaint Jeremiah painting under the boat. #secrethistory #shantyboat #boatrepair #hullpaint
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Stressful fiberglass work today here at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard. Lots of big things got done.
Stressful fiberglass work today here at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard. Lots of big things got done. #FiberglassTheTickingTimeBomb #Shantyboat #BoatRepair #DIY
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Filthy filthy Jeremiah who has spent the entire day on his back underneath the boat sanding the hull.
Filthy filthy Jeremiah who has spent the entire day on his back underneath the boat sanding the hull. #ToxinsAreFun #BoatRepair #DIY #Shantyboat #SecretHistory
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Want to help? We will be at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard all weekend and there are many jobs
Want to help? We will be at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard all weekend and there are many jobs to do. Beer is available. If you just want to hangout though, another time is probably better. #boatrepair #shantyboat #secrethistory
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This weekend the shantyboat is in drydock to do some needed repairs. We put Dottie into the ocean for the
This weekend the shantyboat is in drydock to do some needed repairs. We put Dottie into the ocean for the first time in two years to bring it to the lift which pulled us out of the water. #shantyboat #secrethistory #harbor #drydock
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The Secret History Crisis Cam. Thanks for the fundraiser support that will enable us to capture moments of terror.
The Secret History Crisis Cam. Thanks for the fundraiser support that will enable us to capture moments of terror. #shantyboat #secrethistory #crisiscam
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Marietta Times: Artist will stop in Marietta on Ohio River journey
The culture of people who have grown up and lived on the banks of America’s great rivers has largely been left out of history, and Wes Modes has set out to share them.
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Exploring Our Very Own San Lorenzo River
This year, the folks at the arts council making Ebb & Flow happen wanted to build the celebration around a series of stories from San Lorenzo River people.
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Roland Law’s Wildest Dream for the San Lorenzo River
Roland Law talks about his conservation work along the banks of the San Lorenzo River
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George Ow Jr Tells Us About Chinatowns along the San Lorenzo River
An interview with George Ow Jr. along the banks of the San Lorenzo River where we talked about his growing up in one of the last Chinatowns along the river.
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Interview with Leo Cruz along the San Lorenzo River
Interview with Leo Cruz about growing up near a river in Mexico and coming to live along the San Lorenzo River.
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Interview with Greg Pepping about San Lorenzo River
We interviewed Greg Pepping and talked about the community’s relationship with the San Lorenzo River as part of the Ebb & Flow Festival coming up on June 7th. #ebbandflow #sanlorenzoriver #secrethistory #interview
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We Need Your Help
This year, the project is exploring the rich and important American history of the Ohio River Valley touching on the the dramatic geography, the history of westward expansion and early settlements in the territory, American Indian relations and removal, self-emancipated people, abolitionists, and the Underground Railroad, river modification by the Army Corp of Engineers, the important role…
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Sea King
This is the new SEA KING outboard motor we bought sight-unseen off craigslist for the Louisville exhibition. I believe it is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I’d love to tell you that this 5 hp motor is going to be the new power for the shantyboat, but all things considered, I think we’ll stick…
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An Exhibition at Louisville’s Portland Museum
In early February, we staged an exhibition at Portland Museum in the Portland Neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. This was the full shebang with photographs, video of interview excerpts, and expedition footage, ambient video and audio, and installation components. A full size johnboat and pier were built out in the Portland’s Comstock Gallery. Originally, we were…
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Insider Louisville: Exhibit on America’s river heritage finds berth at Portland Museum
Ahead of a shantyboat trip down the Ohio River this summer, California artist Wes Modes will open a window onto the history and culture of the nation’s rivers on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Portland Museum.
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Interview with shipmate Benzy
SL Benz has been a shipmate on the Secret History expeditions on the Tennessee, Sacramento, and Hudson Rivers since 2016, and soon, the Ohio River. She is a California-based new media artist. I interviewed Benzy about her duties as shipmate and production assistant while we were on the Sacramento River.
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The “Mad” Ohio: the Great Ohio River Flood of 1937
The greatest natural disaster in Tri-State history happened in January-February 1937 when the river rose to 79.9 feet and floodwaters
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Flatboatmen of the Frontier 1941 Ohio River Valley Documentary
Enjoy this charming (and educational) 1941 documentary covers the process of producing wooden flatboats for use on the Ohio River
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Ohio River: Young Man River 1965 US Army Corps of Engineers
An amazing mid-century educational film by the US Army Corps of Engineers
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River Tramps: The Strange Floating Population Found on the Ohio
Where shantyboat history has been hard to come by on the four other rivers we’ve visited, on the Ohio River, one need only Google for shantyboat and the name of any town along the five states that front the river.
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Searching for Living Native History in the Ohio River Valley
I’ve been going crazy all evening looking for native people in the Ohio River Valley.
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Remembering Tom Holman creator of Bomfire Pizza in Sabula, Iowa
There simply is not enough that can be said about Tom Holman who helped preserve river culture and build community along the banks of a small town on the Mississippi River.
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Honoring Tim Mason and the Floating Shantyboat Library
I just found out that the world has become poorer and less interesting. We lost Tim Mason who ran the world’s only floating shantyboat library aboard his shantyboat Driftless with his wife Sara. You may remember that I interviewed Tim in the summer of 2015 in Marquette, Iowa. At the time I wrote: Tim Mason is…
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Small Boats: River People – Shantyboat on the Sacramento River
Wes Modes spent two years building a shantyboat using salvaged materials and in 2014 he began voyaging America’s rivers. He takes us along on his voyage down California’s Sacramento river.
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We’re Headed to the Ohio River
We are happy to announce that in summer 2019 the Secret History project will be doing fieldwork on the Ohio River.
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A push to remove the homeless from the American River
To follow up on our visit to the American River on our 2017 summer fieldwork, you may remember that we interviewed Bar who lived along the river. While we were in Sacramento, we explored the American River north of town. One evening, we camped near a fellow in a neat temp compound a short walk…
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River Voices (Unofficial Cut) – 2018 Trailer
Our 2018 trailer video featuring river people from 1250 miles of the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers.
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Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River
Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River [codepeople-post-map]
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Jeremiah and the ordered chaos of the shantyboat mid-journey
Jeremiah and the ordered chaos of the shantyboat mid-journey. Photo by Paul Abitabile [codepeople-post-map]
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I made it home safe and sound to the hills above Santa Cruz
I made it home safe and sound to the hills above Santa Cruz after the longest drive of my life: 3200 miles solo over 5 days towing the shantyboat. Nice to see Benzy again. Time for whiskey #shantyboat #roadtrip #longdrive #audiobooks #homeagain
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Hagan, who is 5, was very taken with the shantyboat
Hagan, who is 5, was very taken with the shantyboat and made this in art class #shantyboat #shantyart #artclass #5yoartist #collage #almost6 [codepeople-post-map]
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In general, I love alleys, moreso in desert towns
In general, I love alleys, moreso in desert towns [codepeople-post-map]
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Truck stop near Holbrook Arizona
Truck stop near Holbrook Arizona #Shantyboat #RoadTrip #Arizona [codepeople-post-map]
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There is something so beautiful and surreal about truck stops
There is something so beautiful and surreal about truck stops, a post-apocalyptic Terminator trainyard aesthetic. I used to really hate this kind of urban desolation, until one early morning while train hopping sitting on a curb stop in a dismal mini-mall parking lot waiting for a coffee shop to open I experienced a profound “flip,”…
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The friendly people in the diner insisted I sign the wall
The friendly people in the diner insisted I sign the wall #Diners #Missouri #Ozarks #Shantyboat [codepeople-post-map]
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Uh oh. I haven’t had to worry about these tires ever since the good folks Predator Trailer in Omaha replace the trailer suspension, axles, wheels, and tires
Uh oh. I haven’t had to worry about these tires ever since the good folks Predator Trailer in Omaha replace the trailer suspension, axles, wheels, and tires. #shantyboat #tires #trailers [codepeople-post-map]
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All the way across the country I am passing up Waffle House
All the way across the country I am passing up Waffle House because of a string of racist incidents where staff are calling the cops on Black people because they don’t like their attitude. @wafflehouseofficial #shantyboat #witeppl #bbqbecky #PermitPatty #BreakfastWhileBlack #blm #BlackLivesMatter #Racism #fuckwafflehouse @wafflehouse [codepeople-post-map]
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The Back Rhodes Diner (aka Faye’s Diner), where all the old dudes hang out for their morning coffee and breakfast
The Back Rhodes Diner (aka Faye’s Diner), where all the old dudes hang out for their morning coffee and breakfast, where the delicious signature breakfast is a biscuit, egg, and sausage sandwich smothered in gravy, is located at the edge of the Ozark mountains in southern Missouri #Shantyboat #Ozarks #Missouri #OpenSpaces #Hillbillies #Okies [codepeople-post-map]
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People often ask us where we stay while we’re on the road. Answer: wherever we damn well please. Truck stops, parking lots, flat areas alongside the road, wherever
People often ask us where we stay while we’re on the road. Answer: wherever we damn well please. Truck stops, parking lots, flat areas alongside the road, wherever. We are like the turtle who carries his house on his back. As long as we don’t mind living in the chaos that bumping down the road…
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Going through the Appalachian Mountains in Delaware it is rainy AF
Going through the Appalachian Mountains in Delaware it is rainy AF. That’s fun and all, until I go to sleep and find that our sleeping loft in the Shantyboat is completely saturated #Appalachian #RainPacalypse #Driving #Delaware [codepeople-post-map]
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The shantyboat trailer started its life with me as part of the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet fleet
The shantyboat trailer started its life with me as part of the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet fleet. Even here in 2001, it provided opportunities to stop and see new places that I might have driven through #roadsideservice #ruralnewjersey #trailers #csto [codepeople-post-map]
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This is a familiar scene going all the way back to 1999 my first year owning this trailer
This is a familiar scene going all the way back to 1999 my first year owning this trailer #trailerrepair #shantyboat #roadservice #newjersey [codepeople-post-map]
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Old friend Seanix and his brood put me up in a soft bed in their Colonial farm house for the night after a day of crazy
Old friend Seanix and his brood put me up in a soft bed in their Colonial farm house for the night after a day of crazy #oldfriends #humansofnewjersey #GradeSchoolersWithShovels [codepeople-post-map]
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Should I worry? By truckers now have app audio for this was “in 3.1 miles, enter tunnel and enter tunnel. Then enter tunnel and enter tunnel”
Should I worry? By truckers now have app audio for this was “in 3.1 miles, enter tunnel and enter tunnel. Then enter tunnel and enter tunnel” repeated every half mile. #DrivingInNYCWithA45FootLongRig [codepeople-post-map]
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Sweet fucking Jesus H Christ. Driving along the expressway into the Bronx across The Whitestone Bridge when suddenly truck and trailer go squirrley
Sweet fucking Jesus H Christ. Driving along the expressway into the Bronx across The Whitestone Bridge when suddenly truck and trailer go squirrley and the shantyboat overtakes the truck and bashes against the tailgate before pitching violently forward. Do an immediate oh shit stop. What the fucking hell just happened? Cars swerving around me I…
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Rafting up with the Captain D to say hey
Rafting up with the Captain D to say hey #Tugboat #Shantyboat #NYC #FlushingBay [codepeople-post-map]
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College Point barge ruins
College Point barge ruins #nyc #beautifuldecay #collegepoint #nycboatride #flushingbay #Shantyboat [codepeople-post-map]
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Prison barge across from Rikers Island
Prison barge across from Rikers Island #Shantyboat #firetotheprisons #carceralstate [codepeople-post-map]
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Looking back through Hell Gate. Not so hellish at slack tide with a favorable wind. Onward to Flushing Bay
Looking back through Hell Gate. Not so hellish at slack tide with a favorable wind. Onward to Flushing Bay #Shantyboat #bronx #queens #nyc #hellgate [codepeople-post-map]
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Our time on the Hudson River and in New York City draws to a close
Our time on the Hudson River and in New York City draws to a close. Today we are piloting the Shantyboat up the East River, through Hell Gate, to Flushing Bay where we will trailer the boat at the Worlds Fair Marina. Then begins the next phase of the adventure, a 3000 mile drive towing…
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Interview with David Sharps director of the Waterfront Museum on the Lehigh Valley No. 79, one of the last wooden railroad barges
Interview with David Sharps director of the Waterfront Museum on the Lehigh Valley No. 79, one of the last wooden railroad barges. We talked about his career as a juggler, clown, and performer and later as a barge owner #Shantyboatweekend! #Interview #SecretHistory #WoodenBarge #LehighValley #Brooklyn #RedHook #WaterfrontMuseum #NewYorkHarbor #NYC [codepeople-post-map]
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The beautiful chaos of Katz’s Delicatessen
The beautiful chaos of Katz’s Delicatessen #nyc #eastvillage #lowereastside #manhattan [codepeople-post-map]
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Manhattan exhibit packed up with the help of fellow Mariner Ron
Manhattan exhibit packed up with the help of fellow Mariner Ron #ArtShow #Manhattan #NYC #Shantyboat [codepeople-post-map]
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Officer Martinez stopped me after I cross Williamsburg Bridge to remind me with the summons that in New York one cannot hold their cell phone
Officer Martinez stopped me after I cross Williamsburg Bridge to remind me with the summons that in New York one cannot hold their cell phone #NYC #Enforcement #NotGuilty [codepeople-post-map]
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When your houseboat is at low tide far below the top of the bulkhead and you need to bring up the heavy media kit
When your houseboat is at low tide far below the top of the bulkhead and you need to bring up the heavy media kit #mcgyver #shantyboat #PulaskiBridge #NewtownCreek #Brooklyn #Greenpoint #NYC [codepeople-post-map]