Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Tag: World War II

  • England, Day 7 (Tankfest)

    Finally the single event that justified our entire trip to England arrived, the renowned Tankfest. It’s everything the name implies, a festival of military tanks, and it happens only once a year on the grounds of the Tank Museum in Bovington (map). This is what the younger kid wanted as a high school graduation present…

  • England, Day 2 (Jurassic Coast)

    We were firmly based in Swanage after the long day of travel and ready to explore our new surroundings. However, we were still pretty tired so we stuck close to home and made it an easy day. Swanage sits near the eastern end of the 96 mile (154 km) Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage…

  • Dayton, Ohio Part 4 (Venturing North)

    The ultimate destination was Dayton, Ohio and it took about seven and a half hours to get there. However we didn’t just sit in Dayton for an entire week. If I had to drive all that way you better believe I would do some County Counting along the way too. At this point I’ve already…

  • Bogue Banks Bound, Part 4 (Conflicts)

    These areas near the coast were particularly valuable during a time when limited transportation options existed. Naturally new European arrivals settled there and built their towns. Even so, times were not always wonderful. Differing outlooks led to inevitable conflicts. Just as I’d discovered during my recent trip to South Carolina, military conflicts left their marks…

  • Ohio River, Part 9 (Evansville Loop)

    We continued to follow the basic path of the Ohio River, this time heading west from Louisville. At the far end we hit our most westerly destination, the city of Evansville, Indiana. Once again the day began with intentional destinations in mind. However, as once before, the second half of the journey focused on county…

  • Carolina Wetlands, Part 4 (This Means War)

    I expected to run into a ton of Civil War history during my excursions. After all, the first shots of the conflict happened nearby at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. So it surprised me to see a lot less than I figured within the pocket I explored. There was some of course, but not much…

  • Monte Brasil

    Terceira, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) Monte Brasil is an odd appendage hanging off of Terceira’s south central coast (map). It forms a bay and a natural harbor with its teardrop shape. Additionally it deflects prevailing winds that come from the west and the southwest. Its heights allowed defensive positions that protected the land…

  • USS Yorktown (CV-10)

    Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum; Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (September 2008) We wanted to make sure we visited the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV/CVS-10) while we stayed in Charleston. Our first glimpse came as we crossed the Arthur Ravenel Bridge over the Copper River, heading into Mount Pleasant. Even here, high upon the…

  • Bermuda Shorts, Part 6 (Forts )

    Longtime readers of Twelve Mile Circle know that I love my forts, fortresses and fortifications. So I really loved Bermuda, a place practically custom-designed by Great Britain to be one giant fort. Its strategic placement and and heavy militarization led to its nickname the “Gibraltar of the West.” Maybe I should have included it in…

  • Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel

    Whittier, Alaska, USA (July 2010) I’d long wanted to traverse the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel heading to Whittier, Alaska and the Prince William Sound (map). The tiny town of Whittier holds a couple hundred people where nearly the entire population lives in a single building. You might wonder why the government built a tunnel nearly…