Remembering “Canoe in Krog Tunnel”
Cover page of September 2021 issue of The Bitter Southerner
When we lived in Atlanta, GA, Colin and I were always up for an adventure. Whether it was a hike or a spontaneous day trip, we were known to take every chance we could get to see something new or make the most of a weekend. We were in our pre-parenting phase, so we were also known to host some form of family or friends every week, rarely having a week or weekend without out-of-town visitors staying with us in our little bungalow. So it was a typical weeknight in fall of 2009 when pouring rain caused the nearby Krog Tunnel to flood, but atypical in the sense that we didn’t have any plans—no scheduled activities, no visitors.
I was finishing up work from home while starting dinner when Colin burst into the front door announcing that we needed to grab the canoe. It’s funny to reflect on this now, how frustrated I was to juggle food on the stove, work and an impromptu canoe trip. But he seemed so eager and something I’d learned in our many years together was to just roll with it—often one of our hairbrained ideas would overrule logic or simplicity and this was, usually, for the best.
The next few minutes were a blur, we quickly grabbed the canoe and ran down to the Krog Tunnel. But once we were on the water it was sort of serene. Was this floodwater likely riddled with road waste from the downtown streets of Atlanta? Absolutely. Were we the only ones moving in it amidst the road closures and general stillness after the storm. Also yes. Until we were met by an amateur photographer who happened to be wading through the same tunnel at that same time, and the rest is history. National Geographic and Boston Globe “photo of the day” history, thanks to the incredible skill and timing of the legendary, Caroline Smith.
You can read the entire story in an article published and featured in The Bitter Southerner: Canoe in Krog Tunnel — THE BITTER SOUTHERNER. The piece was written years after by the amazing Julie Chantal Thompson, who took the time to connect with us and with Caroline to care for this story and protect all of its memories in meticulous detail.
The Bitter Southerner social post of canoe photo
ATLScoop social post of the canoe photo and reminiscing it’s time on National Geographic