The Sun Traveller · Section
Reaches
One reach at a time, in one season, at a stated river stage. Each account says what the water was doing, what the ground was like underfoot, and whether the drive earned itself.
Nothing here is ranked and nothing is recommended the way a listings site recommends. Where a trip was a waste, that is written down too, because a wasted Saturday is useful information.
Everything filed under Reaches
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01
Two miles, paved, some steps
October 2025 · Fourth Chickasaw Bluff, Memphis
The bluff at low water
Fourth bluff, low stage, and a view that only exists because the ice age put a hill here.
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02
Three miles, flat, exposed
September 2025 · The harbour peninsula, Memphis
The harbour side and the point
Slack water on the harbour side, moving river on the other, and a point that only exists below ten feet.
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03
Four miles, wet, boots
March 2026 · Bottomland forest, north of Memphis
Bottomland forest in high water
Water standing between the trunks, no ground to walk on, and the best two weeks of the year.
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04
Water only, or a mile of boardwalk
June 2026 · Tributary swamp, east of Memphis
The slow tributary
Black water, buttressed trunks, and a current slow enough to paddle both directions.
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05
None, the boat does it
May 2026 · Two crossings, upstream and downstream
The last two ferries
Fifteen minutes on the water, a boat that runs on demand, and the only way to see the river from the middle.
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06
Mostly driving, short walks
April 2026 · Flat country counties, south of the line
The flat counties south
Straight roads, enormous sky, and a horizon that makes the light behave differently.
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07
None, five minutes at a screen
Method · Anywhere on this river
Reading the gauge before you go
Stage, trend and forecast. Three readings, five minutes, and most wasted trips prevented.
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08
Applies to every walk here
Method · Levee and floodplain, summer
Walking in real heat
Sweat that does not evaporate, four miles that feel like eight, and the hours that actually work.
The Gauge
A short note whenever a reach is filed, and nothing in between. No schedule, no selling, and the address goes nowhere else.