Dispatches

Age doing drive-by fishing #fishing #ohioriver #westvirginia #shantyboat

Sistersville is a classic adorable small river town laid out parallel to the river.

Jul 2, 2019

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The classic adorable small river town is laid out with its primary commercial district parallel to and a couple blocks up from the river. This also kept Main Street safe from periodic flooding. Historically, the blocks along the river were a busy neighborhood of warehouses, wharves, barges, oil derricks, shipping, drayage, coal and grain elevators,…

Sketchy McSketcherson’s sketchy homemade dock

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Sketchy McSketcherson’s sketchy homemade dock. Note the interesting piles of trash, skillet-hot sizzling sheet metal, and hull-skewering protruding metal pipes. #HomemadeDock #Shantyboat #OhioRiver #Ohio

Hazel doing what she does best

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Hazel doing what she does best. Charming us. #hazel #cattledog @gooddoghazel

Age came from New Zealand to shipmate

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Age came from New Zealand to shipmate on the Shantyboat. He also joined me on the Tennessee River in 2016. Now I will have someone to talk to beside myself, Hazel, Nd Squirlsey. #shipmate #shantyboat #ohioriver #age #adrian

Just got 20 on my turn though Age is still kicking my ass

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Just got 20 on my turn though shipmate Age is still kicking my ass #cribbage #cardgame #ohioriver #shantyboat #westvirgina

It’s a two knee knocker sort of day

Jun 30, 2019

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It’s a two knee knocker sort of day. While a barge bottom boat tends to be stable, the little bit of freeboard we have allows bigger waves to slosh over our deck. We have removable knee knockers we can install to prevent those waves from washing into the cabin. A little later the river calmed…

This is a pipeline cut

Jun 30, 2019

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This is the beautiful Appalachian Plateau in the West Virginia hills. And this is what it looks like when oil and gas companies cut a broad and bloody swath through the hills to lay a pipeline to support fracking. #fracking #westvirginia #appalacian #pipeline

The Tillers – Shanty Boat at Payne Hollow Kentucky

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in Audio, Dispatches

By and by, I’ll be coming up on Payne Hollow, the holler where Anna and Harlan Hubbard settled out after 5 years spent floating their shantyboat down the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers in the 1950s. I’ve heard great things from my shantyboat friend Faith about Paul who was the Hubbard’s young friend and is…

The Grave Creek Indian burial mound, at 70 feet high, dominates the skyline of Moundsville

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The Grave Creek Indian burial mound, at 70 feet high, dominates the skyline of Moundsville, WV. At the visitor center where I did my talk, there was a great deal of archaeological information, including about the human remains and artifacts that were found in and around the mound. I knew that Lenape, Erie, Shawnee, Munsee,…

Moundsville famous.

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Moundsville famous. #media #westvirginia #ohioriver #press

Shantyboat at the Prima Marina in Moundsville WV.

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Shantyboat at the Prima Marina in Moundsville WV. #ohioriver #westvirginia

Outdoor evening concert in Moundsville, a delightful Midwest summer phenomena

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Outdoor Friday evening concert in Moundsville, WV. This is a delightful summer phenomena that I’ve only seen in the Midwest and East Coast. Before air conditioning, staying indoors on hot evenings was not an option, so people fled to the porch, the stoop, or the park where there was a chance of catching a cooling…

Shantyboat morning with wildflowers

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Shantyboat morning with wildflowers #Shantyboat #Wildflowers #poster

We thought you was a shed that had come adrift

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As I made coffee and checked my email drifting down the river in the morning fog, a tugboat crew came to check on the shantyboat. “We thought you was a shed that had come adrift.” #OhioRiver #Tugboat’s #Tow #WestVirginia #Ohio #Shantyboat

Scenes from a sunrise walk around Wellsburg, West Virginia

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Scenes from a sunrise walk around Wellsburg, West Virginia. #OhioRiver #Rivertown #WestVirginia #Shantyboat

Morning fog on the Ohio River.

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Morning fog on the Ohio River. #Shantyboat #OhioRiver #WestVirginia

Harvey pulling in a 10lb cat from the Wellsburg WV docks

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Harvey pulling in a 10lb catfish from the Wellsburg WV docks told me in detail how he lost his mom a year ago to heart disease after he moved here from Tennessee and that things happen in God’s time even if it doesn’t suit our timetables. #shantyboat #fishermen #westvirginia #wv #ohioriver #fishing #catfish

See ya, Steubenville. Given the highwater and the decrepit condition of the marina, exhibition canceled

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See ya, Steubenville. We had an exhibition planned in Steubenville for the last year, but given the high water and the decrepit condition of the former Marina, they had to cancel. In fact, there isn’t even a place to land a boat safely. It makes me sad that this former river town has so little…

Shantyboat in Toronto Ohio. We were rocked by tugboats and tows all night.

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Shantyboat in Toronto Ohio. We were rocked by tugboats and tows all night. #Shantyboat #OhioRiver #Ohio

Shantyboat breakfast with cheesy grits. We eat well.

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Shantyboat breakfast with cheesy grits. We eat well. #shantyboat

Beaching the shantyboat for a quick pitstop for Hazel.

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Beaching the shantyboat for a quick pitstop for Hazel. #Pitstop #Shantyboat #OhioRiver #River

Montgomery Locks on the Ohio River

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Montgomery Locks on the Ohio River #shantyboat #lockanddam #locks #ohioriver #pa #pennsylvania

As everyone knows, when you drive under a train, it’s good luck.

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As everyone knows, when you drive under a train, it’s good luck. Doubly so if you do it on a boat. #goodluck #shantyboat #sailorsuperstitions

Do you need power? Water? Do you need any money? Do you need anything? Groceries? My keys are in my truck.

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When we arrived in Bridgewater, PA along the Beaver River we pulled up to an open space at the very first marina we saw and immediately a few folks came out to catch our lines and help us out. We were parked in someone’s space apparently but it was okay because that boat was out for…

First day’s voyage celebration. No one was arrested. No one died. And no one lost a limb. Success!

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First day’s voyage celebration. No one was arrested. No one died. And no one lost a limb. Success! Unfortunately, I am losing my shipmates already. Christian the nice reporter from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had to return to his desk. And Josh my artist/professor friend had to return to his fam. So now it is just…

Boats of Pittsburgh

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Boats of Pittsburgh #pgh #BoatOfPittsburgh #BoatsOfInstagram #secrethistory

Squirlsey ridin’ the wave!

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Squirlsey ridin’ the wave! #squirrel #shantyboat #waves

Looking sexy Pittsburgh.

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Looking sexy Pittsburgh. #pgh #skyline

Interview with our trip angel Evan Clark who lives on a shantyboat

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in Dispatches, Oral History

Interview with our trip angel Evan Clark who a) does environmental education and cleanup, b) told us about the effects of post-industrialization and global climate change in PGH, and c) lives in a shantyboat. #interview #shantyboat #secrethistory #oralhistory

Props props props. During my travels some low driveway took a bite out of my prop

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Props props props. During my travels some low driveway took a bite out of my primary propeller so I had to travel into the Pennsylvania hills to get another one. #Propeller #BoatProp #Shantyboat

One of the last things we do before we launch

Jun 24, 2019

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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

Shantyboat on the Allegheny

Jun 24, 2019

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Shantyboat on the Allegheny. Thanks to Evan from Brilliant Marina whose local knowledge and extensive river experience helped a lot. #shantyboat #allegheny

Hazel at the bow of Evan’s boat on the Allegheny

Jun 23, 2019

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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

What I look like after a cross-country drive and repeated visits to Home Despot

Jun 23, 2019

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What I look like after a cross country drive and then repeated trips to Home Despot to fix the boat. #shantyboat #boatrepair #diy #homedespot

When you park right next to the tracks

Jun 23, 2019

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When you park right next to the tracks you experience this disconcerting phenomena. Which looks like this late at night… #train #railroad #shantyboat #woowoo

For the first time in a week I have a moment to relax

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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

Hangin with the PGH boat punx on the swollen Allegheny River.

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Hangin with the PGH boat punx at Brilliant Marina on the swollen Allegheny River. #BoatPunx #FloodStage #shantyboat #Marina

Arrived in Pittsburgh to a warm welcome

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Arrived in Pittsburgh to a warm welcome by boat punk friends. #RoadTrip #Pittsburgh #PGH

Welcome to America.

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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

Battened Down. Finally.

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After 6 years, I finally got tired of all the shantyboat stuff walking all over the place when I drove. #boatrepair #shantyboat

Big storm over Vandalia, Illinois

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Big storm over Vandalia, Illinois #roadtrip #shantyboat #stormacomin

Accusatory look. I don’t think either Squirlsey or I thought this trip would take six days.

Jun 21, 2019

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Accusatory look. I don’t think either Squirlsey or I thought this trip would take six days. #AngrySquirrel #RoadTrip #RoadService #CrossCountry

Middle of the night truckstop shantyboat repair

Jun 21, 2019

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Middle of the night truckstop epoxy work to repair the damaged hull of the shantyboat. #epoxy #boatrepair #shantyboat #roadtrip

First real meal of any kind in three days of travel at the Sunnyside Diner in OKC

Jun 20, 2019

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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

There are a lot of abandoned places in the American Southwest

Jun 20, 2019

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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

Sometimes you move over the same landscape so many times that you get a sense of déjà vu.

Jun 18, 2019

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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

30 minutes out of my way to Lake Havasu City to someplace that had fiberglass supplies

Jun 18, 2019

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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

As if we need additional confirmation that I am an idiot. Let’s be clear…

Jun 17, 2019

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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…

Chuvas Senior gets replacement tire and rim. Junior packs new bearings with marine grease.

Jun 17, 2019

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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…

Literally lost the tire on the trailer while driving to the tire shop.

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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

Shantyboat Drydock

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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…

Hmm. Is that okay?

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I’m not sure it is supposed to be doing that. #trailertroubles

All ready to go.

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All ready to go. #shantyboat #roadtrip

The annual posting of the punch list ceremony has been completed. Almost everything checked off.

Jun 15, 2019

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The annual posting of the punch list ceremony has been completed. Almost everything checked off. #Punchlist #ToDoList #ToDo #Shantyboat

Squirlsey getting excited for trip.

Jun 14, 2019

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Squirlsey getting excited for trip. #squirrels #3leggeddog #ToughAsNails

Rebuilt and refinished the shantyboat’s 5-year old camp stove. New crackle finish.

Jun 14, 2019

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Rebuilt and refinished the shantyboat’s 5-year old camp stove. New crackle finish. #diy #boatrepair #shantyboat #tripprep

New art in the Shantyboat gallery thanks to our supporters

Jun 13, 2019

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New art in the Shantyboat gallery thanks to our supporters. #shantyboat #artgallery #whitejesus #artinsitu

Lookin good a few days before we depart

Jun 12, 2019

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Lookin good a few days before we depart. #shantyboat #boatprep #ComingForYouOhioRiver

Definitely one of those things that only a boat captain would care about, new hull numbers

Jun 12, 2019

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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…

There is something strangely comforting about auto shops

Jun 10, 2019

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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

Secret History at Santa Cruz Ebb & Flow

Jun 10, 2019

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in Dispatches, Field Reports

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…

Important work before we put the boat in the water

Jun 5, 2019

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Important work before we put the boat in the water. Thanks to Jess for coming by to help. #boatrepair

Always disconcerting to see a 7000 pound boat hanging in the middle of the air.

Jun 5, 2019

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Always disconcerting to see a 7000 pound boat hanging in the middle of the air. #boatrepair #drydock

Jefe supervising the workers.

Jun 3, 2019

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Jefe supervising the workers. #boatrepair #diy #shantyboat #UnionMandatedCoffeeBreak Jefe supervising the workers. #boatrepair #diy #shantyboat #UnionMandatedCoffeeBreak

Replacing frayed keel knuckles. Easier than we feared.

Jun 3, 2019

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Replacing frayed keel knuckles. Easier than we feared. #diy #boatrepair #skegs

Benzy paints the underside of the shantyboat trailer.

Jun 2, 2019

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Benzy paints the underside of the shantyboat trailer. #boatrepair #boattrailer #shantyboat

Jeremiah painting under the boat.

Jun 1, 2019

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Jeremiah painting under the boat. #secrethistory #shantyboat #boatrepair #hullpaint Jeremiah painting under the boat. #secrethistory #shantyboat #boatrepair #hullpaint

Stressful fiberglass work today here at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard. Lots of big things got done.

Jun 1, 2019

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Stressful fiberglass work today here at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard. Lots of big things got done. #FiberglassTheTickingTimeBomb #Shantyboat #BoatRepair #DIY

Filthy filthy Jeremiah who has spent the entire day on his back underneath the boat sanding the hull.

May 31, 2019

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Filthy filthy Jeremiah who has spent the entire day on his back underneath the boat sanding the hull. #ToxinsAreFun #BoatRepair #DIY #Shantyboat #SecretHistory

Want to help? We will be at the Santa Cruz Harbor Boatyard all weekend and there are many jobs

May 31, 2019

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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

This weekend the shantyboat is in drydock to do some needed repairs. We put Dottie into the ocean for the

May 30, 2019

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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

The Secret History Crisis Cam. Thanks for the fundraiser support that will enable us to capture moments of terror.

May 27, 2019

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The Secret History Crisis Cam. Thanks for the fundraiser support that will enable us to capture moments of terror. #shantyboat #secrethistory #crisiscam

Shantyboat Dotty in Felton Remembers Parade

May 25, 2019

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Shantyboat Dotty and crew in Felton Remember Parade

Crisis Cam!!

May 8, 2019

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Crisis Cam!!

Flatboatmen of the Frontier 1941 Ohio River Valley Documentary

Jan 28, 2019

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Enjoy this charming (and educational) 1941 documentary covers the process of producing wooden flatboats for use on the Ohio River

Ohio River: Young Man River 1965 US Army Corps of Engineers

Jan 27, 2019

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An amazing mid-century educational film by the US Army Corps of Engineers

A push to remove the homeless from the American River

Oct 9, 2018

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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…

Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River

Aug 24, 2018

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Old photo of the shantyboat on the Tennessee River

Benzy and Hazel in Waterford NY

Aug 24, 2018

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Benzy and Hazel in Waterford NY #shantyboat

Jeremiah and the ordered chaos of the shantyboat mid-journey

Aug 24, 2018

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Jeremiah and the ordered chaos of the shantyboat mid-journey. Photo by Paul Abitabile

I made it home safe and sound to the hills above Santa Cruz

Aug 13, 2018

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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

Hagan, who is 5, was very taken with the shantyboat

Aug 13, 2018

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Hagan, who is 5, was very taken with the shantyboat and made this in art class #shantyboat #shantyart #artclass #5yoartist #collage #almost6

In general, I love alleys, moreso in desert towns

Aug 12, 2018

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In general, I love alleys, moreso in desert towns

Truck stop near Holbrook Arizona

Aug 12, 2018

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Truck stop near Holbrook Arizona #Shantyboat #RoadTrip #Arizona

Driving a boat through Texas

Aug 11, 2018

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Driving a boat through Texas

There is something so beautiful and surreal about truck stops

Aug 11, 2018

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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,”…

The friendly people in the diner insisted I sign the wall

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The friendly people in the diner insisted I sign the wall #Diners #Missouri #Ozarks #Shantyboat

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

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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. #shantyboat #tires #trailers

All the way across the country I am passing up Waffle House

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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

The Back Rhodes Diner (aka Faye’s Diner), where all the old dudes hang out for their morning coffee and breakfast

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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, 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

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

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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. 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…

Going through the Appalachian Mountains in Delaware it is rainy AF

Aug 9, 2018

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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 [Edit: Appalachians in Delaware?? Maybe Maryland coming out of New Jersey.]

The shantyboat trailer started its life with me as part of the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet fleet

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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

This is a familiar scene going all the way back to 1999 my first year owning this trailer

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This is a familiar scene going all the way back to 1999 my first year owning this trailer #trailerrepair #shantyboat #roadservice #newjersey

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

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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 #oldfriends #humansofnewjersey #GradeSchoolersWithShovels

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”

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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” repeated every half mile. #DrivingInNYCWithA45FootLongRig

Sweet fucking Jesus H Christ. Driving along the expressway into the Bronx across The Whitestone Bridge when suddenly truck and trailer go squirrley

Aug 7, 2018

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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 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…