KAPPINSPAULDINGNot Currently LiveResearch / Guides / Field Notes
Rabbit holes worth going down.
This is where the deeper stuff lives: cited research, practical explainers, field notes, regional reference material, and the questions that deserve more than a quick video description.
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Each article is built as a permanent reference. Some grow out of a ride or video, while others start with a question worth digging into. Expect cited sources, updates when the facts change, and links back to the field work that inspired them.
A Southern Gothic true-history investigation of the Spiritualist camp at Natural Bridge, from an 1886 newspaper séance to the empty-chair memorial and records continuing into 1898.
The Tennessee–Alabama rivalry as a century-long Southern story: bitter streaks, cherished victories, odd traditions, disputed championships, and the respect beneath it all.
An illustrated, research-backed history of ancient Tellico Plains, its lost mounds and Cherokee traditions, the Coker Creek gold rush, and a modern guide to the mountains.
A researched guide to the Cohutta Mountains and Wildlife Management Area, including Cherokee history, logging railroads, former communities, wildlife restoration, rare Conasauga River species, hiking, scenic drives, and camping.
An in-depth history of Chattanooga's Walnut Street Bridge, from its 1891 opening and early streetcars through racial terror, near-demolition, pedestrian rebirth, economic impact, and the 2026 renovation.
Evidence from Spiro, the Huasteca, Rio Grande trade, Rock Eagle, Kenimer, and Mississippian networks raises a bigger question: how connected were ancient Mexico and the Southeastern United States?
A research-backed guide to Jeep death wobble, including how to tell it from ordinary vibration or wander, what can cause it, how to diagnose it, and how solutions change on lifted Jeeps with 35s, 37s, or 40s.
An in-depth history of Harrison, Tennessee, from Cherokee settlement and county-seat politics through Old Harrison, Chickamauga Lake, Harrison Bay State Park, childhood memories, and modern growth.
What Chattanooga's National Park City designation actually means, why it is not the same thing as a U.S. national park, how the city earned it, and what the seven local commitments are supposed to accomplish.
A plain-English look at what creates the Smokies' famous blue haze, from plant-emitted VOCs and tiny aerosols to humidity, light scattering, fog, and the separate problem of pollution haze.
A cited, plain-English look at how Joro spiders reached the Southeast, whether they are dangerous, how they spread, cold tolerance, and what researchers know about ecological impacts.
A layered history of Moccasin Bend, from roughly 12,000 years of American Indian presence through the Trail of Tears, slavery, Civil War earthworks, the Cracker Line, and modern preservation.
Seven waterfalls around Chattanooga you can see from the road, a short walk, or an easy overlook, plus parking, access, seasonal flow, and a few ways to turn them into an easy day trip.
A practical first-timer guide to Prentice Cooper State Forest, including road classifications, Snoopers Rock, hiking, primitive camping, seasonal closures, managed hunts, and the rules that matter before you go.
Why TVA built Chickamauga Dam, how flooding shaped old Chattanooga, what the Tennessee River looked like before Chickamauga Reservoir, and what changed after the river became a managed system.
A personal and research-backed look at how electric assist can expand access to cycling, support meaningful physical activity, and make more trips possible by bike.