Category: Nature
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Wyndham Winter Warmer
It’s been chilly lately at Twelve Mile Circle as winter approaches. Perhaps some warm thoughts will help me get through these cold evenings. I need to take my mind to the hottest spot on the planet. I might consider the place with the highest absolute recorded temperature. That would be Al ‘Aziziyah, Libya on September…
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West Coast Sunrises over Water
We’ve had fun watching the comments posted on my recent entry, East Coast Sunsets over Water. Matthew kicked things off when he wondered whether the opposite condition might exist. Does a West Coast sunrise ever happen over water? Scott Schrantz who has followed the Twelve Mile Circle for awhile, later solved the mystery by providing…
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East Coast Sunsets over Water
We all have visions of a romantic Hollywood movie with a classic California scene. Naturally it includes a vibrant sunset over calm Pacific waters. I recall a conversation I had a number of years ago with a west coast native. He raved about those sunsets with an air of superiority. Obviously people on the east…
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Highest and Lowest, Oh So Close
California contains both the highest and lowest elevations of the continental United States. Well, the “Lower 48” more precisely. Astoundingly, they are less than 88 miles (142 kilometers) apart with an elevation change approaching 15,000 feet. Mount Whitney is the California Highpoint at 14,494 feet (4,418 meters) above sea level. It crowns the mighty Sierra…
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The Hottest I’ve Ever Been in my Life
Good lord, it’s hot in Phoenix, Arizona today. I set a personal temperature record: 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius). I could sense heat radiating off my shirt against my skin whenever I walked into the shade. My eyeballs turned to charcoal glowing in a grill, as Mother Nature blasted a blowdryer in my face,…
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Arizona Monsoon
I arrived in Arizona just fine on the flight made possible by John McCain so I’m posting from Phoenix today. Arizona continues to surprise me. It’s summertime so we’re in that half of the year when the clocks align with the Pacific states. Arizona does not recognize Daylight Saving Time, as I’ve explained in a…
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Lazy Blue Ridge Afternoon
Over the weekend we traveled down the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It forms part of an ancient backbone, the Appalachian chain abutting central Virginia. As the crow flies, it wasn’t too far from Shenandoah National Park’s Swift Run Gap and Skyline Drive. We were guest on private land so I won’t give…
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Wisconsin Wrap-Up
I’ve returned from my trip to Wisconsin with tons of new material for the website. I already provided a preview of some of these on the Twelve Mile Circle (this blog). In addition, you can expect more detailed write-ups to start appearing on the permanent site over the next few days and weeks. Oddities that…
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Lake Delton is Gone
NOTE: This entry was written in JUNE 2008, recording a historical event as it unfolded. It does not represent conditions at Lake Delton today. Lake Delton, the 267 acre lake shown on this map ceased to exist on June 9, 2008. This, the crown jewel of the Wisconsin Dells, roared down the Wisconsin River in…
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Wisconsin Floods
NOTE: This entry was written in JUNE 2008, recording a historical event as it unfolded. It does not represent conditions today. The weather has been unusual, and not in the way that Twelve Mile Circle normally appreciates. Awhile ago I posted a story about a water shortage in the southeastern part of the United States…