Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Category: U.S. Counties

  • Boroughs (and Census Areas) in Alaska that I have Visited

    There are 30 boroughs and census areas in Alaska – “The Last Frontier“ Also be sure to see my United States County Counting Page for the rest of the states. I have visited 7 boroughs or census areas = 23.3% of those in Alaska Counties visited are colored-in; counties still needing to be visited are…

  • Counties in Alabama that I have Visited

    There are 67 Counties in Alabama – “The Heart of Dixie“ Also be sure to see my United States County Counting Page for the rest of the states. I have visited 27 Counties = 40.3% of Counties in Alabama Counties visited are colored-in; counties still needing to be visited are blank.  Map created using Mob…

  • Inner Banks, Day 2

    We spent the first day getting down to our base at Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  That set us up well for Day Two.  Now we could focus squarely on capturing some unvisited counties.  I decided to travel counter-clockwise (or anti-clockwise for the international 12MC audience).  This map shows the actual coordinates I used to guide…

  • Inner Banks, Day 1

    I set my sights on a doughnut hole of unvisited counties in northeastern North Carolina.  I’d left them untouched until now.  No interstate highways passed through them.  The didn’t fall on a direct path coming home from the beach.  They simply sat there as empty white space on my County Counting map.  Seven of them,…

  • Belle Chasse Ferry

    Belle Chasse, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana (April 2010) I’ve been to the New Orleans area on numerous occasions but somehow the Belle Chasse Ferry in Plaquemines Parish had eluded me. Finally I made a special effort, traversing the Crescent City Connection bridge towards the West Bank, and drove down through the suburbia of Gretna before arriving…

  • Aircraft Carrier, Part 1 (Getting to Norfolk)

    I’d been on-and-off the road repeatedly for weeks, taking one brief trip after another for the entire summer.  The latest stretch brought me to six different places over twelve days.  I just wanted to get home and sleep in my own bed for awhile. That lasted barely three nights.  Then I headed right back out…

  • A Big Milestone – 1500!

    My travels this summer fell into a distinct pattern as I completed recent Twelve Mile Circle articles. I didn’t even plan to mention the most recent long weekend excursion until I crossed an important milestone somewhat unexpectedly. This marked our annual visit to Madison, Wisconsin for the Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival, our tenth straight…

  • Gulf Coast Weekend

    The college tours continued again last weekend although I didn’t go.  My wife and our older son headed towards sites in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The younger guy and I flew down to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi to visit with family instead. He didn’t get to go on the great road trip over the holidays…

  • Ithaca, Part 1 (Four Busy Days)

    We can drive from our home outside of Washington, DC to Ithaca, New York surprisingly easily.  All it takes is about six hours in the car over some pretty scenic roads.  I’ve loved New York’s Finger Lake Region for many years, one of the few places I’ve ever returned to for repeated vacations.  We didn’t…

  • Jersey Shore, Part 4 (Brewery Renaissance)

    New Jersey had some peculiarities.  People can’t pump their own gasoline, for instance.  It’s like the 1960’s, with station attendants and the whole deal.  The local roads also had this weird thing where drivers had to exit right to turn left.  I don’t mean like on the Interstate highways with formal ramps and overpasses where…