Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Category: Nature

  • Arches National Park

    Moab, Grand Co., Utah, USA (June 1992) We drove up to Moab, Utah, setting our sights on Arches National Park. I’d never spent any time in this part of the country before and my eyes opened wide as we drove along Interstate 70 through some of the least-populated territory I’d ever imagined. People were so…

  • Antelope Island State Park

    Davis County, Utah, USA (July 2011) Look at a map of the Great Salt Lake. It’s nearly cleaved through its eastern third by a mountain range, some of which is submerged below the waters. The northern section is a peninsula, the Promontory Point. The southern section is an island, Antelope Island, although it sometimes joins…

  • Finishing Pennsylvania, Part 2 (Positioning)

    I’d worked for three months without much of a break as the pandemic lingered. Workdays lasted longer and blended into weekends. Little separation existed between home and office in a full-time telework world. Nonetheless I felt fortunate even if I needed a respite from the churn. The drive to Pennsylvania went well and traffic seemed…

  • Wonder World Park

    San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, USA (March 2007) Wonder World Park contained several attractions in one compact area, including a cave; an observation tower, an “anti-gravity” house, and a wild animal park. It also included a gift shop and a snack bar. Tickets could be purchased for the entire tour or for individual portions. Wonder…

  • Big Bend National Park

    Terlingua, Brewster Co., Texas, USA (May 1992) We left San Antonio, passed Uvalde, passed Del Rio, driving through ever smaller and less frequent towns, moving into one of the most remote locations imaginable. We were heading towards that place where the Rio Grande River flows southeast and then takes a sudden jog to the north.…

  • Jack Daniel Distillery

    Lynchburg, Moore Co., Tennessee, USA (April 2010) The Jack Daniel Distillery offers one of the best tours of any production facility I’ve ever had an opportunity to visit. It’s comprehensive, informative and efficient. They obviously get a lot of visitors and the know how to put on an entertaining session. A visit to the distillery…

  • West Branch of the Susquehanna River

    Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA (September 2006) We took our time meandering up to the Finger Lakes and spent a couple of days in the vicinity of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This included a leisurely cruise on the S. S. Hiawatha paddlewheel riverboat that departed from near the boat ramp at Susquehanna State Park (map). It traveled along a…

  • Ithaca with Kids

    Tompkins County, New York (September 2006) Ithaca is a small city that rests at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake (map). There are many cultural amenities due to its proximity to Cornell University. It also served as an excellent gateway to the larger Finger Lakes region of central New York. We visited the renowned Ithaca…

  • Seneca Lake

    Lodi, Seneca Co., New York, USA (August 7, 2003) The Seneca Lake Wine Trail is not to be missed. There are dozens of vineyards around the lake in close proximity to each other, and it is very easy to try as many as you like. Here’s the kid checking out some of those grapes that…

  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park

    Carlsbad, Eddy Co., New Mexico, USA (May 1992) We drove up and over the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas, crossing into New Mexico and heading towards Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the southern part of the state (map). This is an unusual environment for a variety of reasons. The Guadalupe range is the exposed portion of…