Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield, Alabama was formed in 1969 by four session musicians called The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (and affectionately called The Swampers as popularized by Lynyrd Skynyrd). The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section was the first group of musicians to own a studio and to eventually run their own publishing and production companies - after leaving Rick Hall and FAME Studios. 

Although we visited Muscle Shoals back in November, we never got around to creating a post. With the news of Rick Hall’s passing, today seemed like the right time.

So, with no further ado, here are photos of FAME Studios and the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio - where the Rolling Stones, Traffic, Bob Seger, Elton John, Boz Scaggs, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Dr. Hook, Elkie Brooks, Millie Jackson, Julian Lennon, Cher, and many, many others recorded.

To see more photos click here!

Tendency to Wander went and played in the mud to celebrate New Year’s Eve. It was muddy, it was loud … it was awesome. Even with hundreds of people and thousands of acres of ATV trails, the feeling of community was strong - from helping folks through breakdowns, to knowing everyone’s name, it’s clear that there was a regular mud boggin’ crew. We might be recovering New Englanders, but we felt at home in the very Florida crowd.

Interested in prints - or a digital copy? Click here to check out even more photos - and to purchase your own!

To see the full Patreon post - click here!

Days since leaving Boston: 
187 days

Miles Driven:
16,567

Gas Costs:
$2,272 

States visited: 26 (Plus DC)
Alabama
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Montana
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennesee
Virginia
Washington
Washington DC
West Virginia
Wyoming

Photos taken:
26,640

Prints mailed:
31 

TtW Postcards:
21

Stories told:
256

Tires replaced/repaired:
5

Van Parts Broken (and then replaced):
11

Cups of Dry Cat Food:
190.74

Cans of cat food consumed:
65

Boxes of Pasta Consumed:
65

Follow along with us at www.instagram.com/tendencytowander!

We met Carrie when we stopped to watch the sunset in Cedar Key. Just like us, Carrie is a wanderer. Her home is a converted public safety van from a college in central Florida; she’s currently parked in the driveway of an artist who charges her rent in the form of odd jobs. Before taking to the #vanlife, Carrie lived on the trails. She loved the solitude of hiking alone, mixed with the community at busy camping sites. 

But, she’s finding community in the van culture as well. This past Thanksgiving she attended a van meet up, where the vehicles ranged from luxury models to those barely limping along. 

“Are you afraid of breaking down? That’s one thing I noticed,” she told us. “No matter how fancy the van, everyone is afraid for that breakdown that blows your budget.”

Cedar Key, Florida. December 22, 2017.