Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Category: Roads

  • Thumb Drive, Day 2

    On the first day I stuck to my original plan. However, I needed to pivot to something different on the second day due to a storm hundreds of miles away. As an alternate, I could finish Michigan’s Thumb with only three more counties remaining: Sanilac, Huron and Tuscola. True, it would involve backtracking along some…

  • Thumb Drive, Day 1

    My older son had to get back to Michigan State University for the start of the new semester and it was my turn to drive. It takes about nine hours to get there under ordinary circumstances so it involves an overnight stay in East Lansing. Then, I figured, I might as well stay a little…

  • Bogue Banks Bound, Part 3 (Ferries)

    Now we’re getting to the good stuff! I didn’t just sit along the shoreline and watch the sun and the waves all day. Sure I did plenty of that but I had other adventures too. Plus I got a chance to add another video to the world’s lamest YouTube channel. I hope you like ferries.…

  • Bogue Banks Bound, Part 2 (Observations)

    I’d heard of Bogue Banks prior to my recent trip although I’d never traveled there before. On the other hand I’d spent extensive time a little farther north up the coast on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. This time I wanted to try something new. Then I felt I should dig a little deeper into the…

  • Bogue Banks Bound, Part 1 (Paths)

    Well, that didn’t last long. I felt pretty comfortable even a couple of months ago. It seemed like we’d finally reached the end of the pandemic and we even traveled to Canada. Then the Omicron variant reared its ugly head. I keep hoping, keep expecting, that I won’t have to mention COVID-19 ever again on…

  • Tennessee I-40 Time Zone Crossing

    So you’re driving along Interstate 40 in eastern Tennessee and you want to know where the time changes. Let’s make this easy. It happens between Mile Markers 340 and 341. If you’re driving westbound, going from Eastern Time into Central Time, set your coordinates to: 35.895888°, -84.701530° If you’re driving eastbound, going from Central Time…

  • Little Loudoun Loop

    I traveled an hour west of Washington, DC for a Loudoun Wine Adventure back in 2012. In the time since then, beverage tourism has only increased in this Northern Virginia county. Now visitors can select from about 50 vineyards, 35 breweries, and a smattering of distilleries, cideries, and meaderies within this single jurisdiction. I’m beginning…

  • Niagara Weekend, Part 3 (Down)

    With niceties out of the way including a few hours at Niagara Falls, I could focus on the primary purpose. Three more New York counties needed my attention: Wyoming, Cattaraugus, and Allegany. Collectively they created a significant doughnut hole on my map. Obviously that wouldn’t do so I drafted the most efficient route to grab…

  • Niagara Weekend, Part 1 (Up)

    I had a three-day weekend coming up and four unvisited counties in western New York staring me in the face. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Of course you are, but how could I sell it to the family? County Counting It’s getting more difficult to reach those unvisited counties to add them to my…

  • Ohio River, Part 10 (Heading Back Upstream)

    All good things must come to an end. So, after spending a week in Louisville, we needed to begin the long journey back home. As before, this unfolded over two days of driving. The penultimate day would be the most arduous day of the trip by design. It was a highly technical route, too complicated…