Tennessee River
Reports from the Tennessee River expedition
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An Hour of Cicadas
Want to know what these warm summer nights sound like? Here’s a field recording I made of cicadas near the Tennessee River in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee at 10pm.
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Coozies. You’re from California. You wouldn’t understand.
Coozies. You’re from California. You wouldn’t understand. @communistlesbiandiscoparty @slbenz
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Shantyboat on Brown’s Lake
Anchored for the night on Brown’s Lake near Walker’s Landing under a nearly full moon.
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Beth and Robert took on a walk along Brown’s Lake near Walker Landing
Beth and Robert took on a walk along Brown’s Lake near Walker Landing
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Beth and Robert took on a walk along Brown’s Lake near Walker Landing
Beth and Robert took on a walk along Brown’s Lake near Walker Landing
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Crazy rainstorm forces us off the river
Crazy rainstorm forces us off the river into a sheltered cove to smoke pipes and drink whiskey
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My local service guys left out a seal and fried the gears.
The new motor we got from Jim Wade was not running smoothly and he drove out an hour twice to make things right. In the end he fixed our old one. Turned out the Santa Cruz repair shop where I paid $600 had forgotten to replace a seal they took out and it had leaked…
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Gifts From Strangers
We are constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers. We come into town and I’m asking people to participate in the project, to share their stories and their lives, and take time out of their busy lives.
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Just your usual sunny day fishing rainstorm experience
Just your usual sunny day fishing rainstorm experience
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James Wade, self-described Tennessee hillbilly and amazingly friendly man, sold us Mr Johnson II, our new old outboard
James Wade, self-described Tennessee hillbilly and amazingly friendly man, sold us Mr Johnson II, our new old outboard
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Glamorous Boating Task Number 512: sorting the moldy dogfood from the good
Glamorous Boating Task Number 512: sorting the moldy dogfood from the good
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Collard greens and jawbone bacon for breakfast. Next up buttery grits and hush puppies
Collard greens and jawbone bacon for breakfast. Next up buttery grits and hush puppies
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Determined to learn some southern cooking. Okra, greens, jawbone bacon, grits, white fish fry
Determined to learn some southern cooking. Okra, greens, jawbone bacon, grits, white fish fry
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Chattanooga Times Free Press: Rollin’ on the River: Artist heading down Tennessee River, documenting the lives of river people
Life on America’s vast rivers always fascinated Wes Modes. As a youth, Mark Twain’s Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer and Harland Hubbard’s “Shantyboat Journal” filled him with a desire to experience and document life on the river.
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Buehler’s Market, in Chattanooga since 1912, caters largely to the Black community in the food desert downtown
Buehler’s Market, in Chattanooga since 1912, caters largely to the Black community in the food desert downtown
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Chattanooga Police observe a Black Lives Matter march
Chattanooga Police observe a Black Lives Matter march
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Maclellan Island, formerly known as Chattanooga Island, formerly known as Crutchfield Island, formerly known as Ross’ Landing Island, and currently called Audubon Island in the middle of the river in downtown Chattanooga. What is the history here?
Maclellan Island, formerly known as Chattanooga Island, formerly known as Crutchfield Island, formerly known as Ross’ Landing Island, and currently called Audubon Island in the middle of the river in downtown Chattanooga. What is the history here?
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Paul playing a Stroh violin in Northshore district Chattanooga
Paul playing a Stroh violin in Northshore district Chattanooga
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With out a doubt the most brilliant urban public art/water feature I’ve ever seen. 5 flights of waterfall stairs
With out a doubt the most brilliant urban public art/water feature I’ve ever seen. 5 flights of waterfall stairs
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Fully protected bike lanes in Chattanooga. Unlike my “progressive” hometown @cityofsantacruz
Fully protected bike lanes in Chattanooga. Unlike my “progressive” hometown @cityofsantacruz
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Sam Houston and the Secret History of Hiwassee Island
He ran away from home and lived with an eccentric Cherokee tribe of about 200 on Hiwassee Island around 1808. He lived with them for two years, during which time he was known as The Raven. He read long passages from the Iliad, which the Cherokee reportedly followed with great interest.
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Welcome to Chattanooga. Here, have a cataclysm
The start of the worst storm we’ve survived on the shantyboat. 60 mph gusts, 4 feet swells, driving rain, water pouring through our closed windows. Had to go out my in it several times to save stuff. Intertube blew away. Bamboo porch collapsed. Johnboat filled with water and wallowed in huge waves. We made evacuation…
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No worries. This is the lock that the US Army Corps said a decade ago could collapse due to aggregate problems and is long past its replacement date
No worries. This is the lock that the US Army Corps said a decade ago could collapse due to aggregate problems and is long past its replacement date
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Benzy: “First comes vodka, then comes Kahlua, then comes a baby in the baby carriage
Benzy: “First comes vodka, then comes Kahlua, then comes a baby in the baby carriage
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The second nuclear power plant we’ve visited in the last 40 miles on the river
The second nuclear power plant we’ve visited in the last 40 miles on the river
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Squirlsy earned a drink at the end of a long hard day
Squirlsy earned a drink at the end of a long hard day
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Kids like shantyboats the way they like treehouses
Kids like shantyboats the way they like treehouses
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Benzy’s bat that she calmly picked up after it flopped from the ceiling of the boat on to her shirt
Benzy’s bat that she calmly picked up after it flopped from the ceiling of the boat on to her shirt
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The Problem with Large Boats
“Every year, boats are getting bigger and bigger.” Numerous people told me this on both the Tennessee River and Mississippi. In our experience, there is an inverse relationship to the size/power of a boat and the respect shown by the driver of it.
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The Tennessee River’s dams turn it into a series of lakes
The Tennessee River’s dams turn it into a series of lakes
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Making pie crust when it is 90 degrees is a frustrating experience
Making pie crust when it is 90 degrees is a frustrating experience
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Vaughn Loveday makes beautiful muzzle loader rifles
Vaughn Loveday makes/carves/metalsmiths/inlays beautiful muzzle loader rifles. But this one is a beautiful old Tennessee original. We decide there are far too few firearms on the #shantyboat via Instagram
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Vaughn Loveday had childhood stories of people living on shantyboats along the Little Tennessee River
Vaughn Lovejoy had childhood stories of people living on shantyboats along the Little Tennessee River. #shantyboat
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Vaughn Goodson, our trip angel who we met in his simple shantyboat…
Vaughn Goodson, our trip angel who we met in his simple #shantyboat, found us food, fuel, stories, connections, friendship, and several pounds of fresh delicious bass. via Instagram
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Squirlsey petrified with fright
Squirlsey petrified with fright after the #shantyboat encounter with big water via Instagram
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Big boats with huge engines are a big problem
Big boats with huge engines are a big problem on American rivers. They erode the shoreline and are a safety hazard for small boats. Numerous people have told us that every year boats get bigger and bigger. #shantyboat via Instagram
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High seas mean waves wash over the deck
High seas mean waves wash over the deck of the #shantyboat and occasionally into the cabin. By high seas we really mean the wake of other boaters. #thanksnothanks via Instagram
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Clay piloting the shantyboat in high seas
@clayduda piloting the #shantyboat in high seas. via Instagram
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Ben Duncan, Duncan’s Boat Dock
People in Knoxville told us, “You have to meet Ben Duncan at Duncan’s Boat Dock. He and other old men sit around there on the dock and swap lies all day.”
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Ben Duncan, age 91, owner and proprietor of Duncan’s Boat Dock
Ben Duncan, age 91, owner and proprietor of Duncan’s Boat Dock near Knoxville TN. Duncan’s has been there since 1944, created when the TVA flooded the valley. The #ShantyBoat docked here for the night. via Instagram
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Sitting at Duncan’s Boat Dock in the shade with a beer
Sitting at Duncan’s Boat Dock in the shade with a beer, Hazel dog, the delightful Benzy, #ShantyBoat docked, boats drifting in and out of the marina. Thanks @clayduda via Instagram
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Swimming in the Tennesse River
Swimming in the Tennesse River. #ShantyBoat #ShantyboatLife via Instagram
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Thanks mom for the champagne. Mimosas to celebrate our departure from Knoxville
Thanks @klassykat68 for the champagne. #Shantyboat mimosas to celebrate our departure from Knoxville. #GrapefruitMimosas via Instagram
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Out on a trash run with Jake Hudson of Ijams Knoxville TN
Out on a trash run with Jake Hudson of Ijams Knoxville TN. #Shantyboat via Instagram
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Jake Hudson who told stories of river clean up on the Tennessee River
Jake Hudson who told stories of river clean up on the Tennessee River. #secrethistory via Instagram
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Betty Goins childhood houseboat in which she grew up
Betty Goins childhood houseboat in which she grew up. #shantyboat via Instagram
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Interview with Betty Goins who grew up in a shantyboat
#secrethistory interview with Betty Goins who grew up in a shantyboat where the French Broad and the Holsten empty into the Tennessee River. “Y’all ready to hear about mah good life on the river? Well, Ah’m ready to tell it.” via Instagram
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Chattanooga Times Free Press: Man and dog to explore Tennessee River on self-made shantyboat
Shantyboat stops along the Tennessee River As of print, the shantyboat was scheduled to hold official exhibitions in the following cities. More stops are sure to be added along the way — including one in Chattanooga which Modes says should be in mid-July. To learn more, visit peoplesriverhistory.org/exhibit. Aug. 5-8: Kennedy Douglas Center for the…
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Another Thursday evening in Knoxville TN
Another Thursday evening in Knoxville TN. #shantyboat via Instagram
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Vaughn and his brother Blue in their #shantyboat just down from the French Broad.
Vaughn and his brother Blue in their #shantyboat just down from the French Broad. via Instagram
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Knoxville News Sentinel: California artist launches 652-mile Tennessee River trip from Volunteer Landing
Docked at Volunteer Landing at Knoxville’s downtown waterfront this week is a 20-foot “shantyboat” that looks all the world like a backwoods cabin perched atop a barge.
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Train bridge over the Tennessee River
Train bridge over the Tennessee River. #shantyboat via Instagram
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Knoxville, Tennessee
We are in beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee where the weather is perfectly warm, the water is cool, there are afternoon summer rain showers, and the people talk with a slow drawl. We arrived on Saturday with no major incidents to our surprise. High-fives were in order.
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Come get high with us party for Jesus
Come get high with us party for Jesus. #shantyboat via Instagram
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Swimming in the Tennessee River at the end of a runway
Swimming in the Tennessee River at the end of a runway. @gooddoghazel watching from the bluff. #shantyboat via Instagram
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Knoxville has floating booms at the mouths of creeks
Knoxville has floating booms at the mouths of creeks. As you can see they prevent an impressive amount of trash from entering the Tennessee River. #shantyboat via Instagram
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Drunken #shantyboat postcard headed your way.
Drunken #shantyboat postcard headed your way. via Instagram
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How You Make This Project Happen
I’ve already mentioned to you that the Secret History project is a shoestring affair in which our $10K budget is tiny compared to a similarly ambitious project that would be more likely in the $100K range. All true. I’ve shown you these pie charts when you supported the project’s Kickstarter, and you already know that…
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Architectural Antics in Knoxville is a great place to pick up supplies
Architectural Antics in Knoxville is a great place to pick up #shantyboat supplies. via Instagram
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The shantyboat is afloat in the Tennessee River!
The #shantyboat is afloat in the Tennessee River! via Instagram