Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Author: Twelve Mile Circle

  • Hawaii, Part 2 (Maui: Kihei & Wailea)

    I knew our trip would involve three separate islands, Oahu, Maui, and the “Big Island” of Hawaii. However, there were many ways to figure a path. The route simplified when I realized we could take a direct flight from the mainland United States to several Hawaiian islands, not just Oahu. We had multiple options inbound…

  • Hawaii, Part 1 (No Cigar)

    This was supposed to be the year I finally finished Hawaii, with my fourth trip to the islands. There are only five counties in the state and I needed three more: Maui County, Hawaii County, and Kalawao County. I should be able to capture that small remaining set for my County Counting list. This should…

  • Skyline Drive – North District

    Skyline Drive hugs the crest of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles (169 kilometres), down the length of Shenandoah National Park. I’ve traveled every section of it, in whole or in part several times, as recently as 2022. So it felt like I rejoined an old friend as we undertook a day-trip from our…

  • Finish Ohio & More, Part 3 (Swipe Down)

    Michigan was fun but now I needed to drive through Ohio for the last bit of unfinished business. Only three counties out of 88 remained unvisited in Ohio, aligned in a single contiguous row heading due south. It felt like bowling pins lined up for an easy spare. So look out Paulding, Van Wert, and…

  • Finish Ohio & More, Part 2 (Last Chances)

    Sure, collecting the remaining Ohio counties was a major goal but not the only goal of this particular trip. The Ohio portion focused on the drive up and the drive back. Michigan was the destination. We spent significantly more time, several days in fact, based in East Lansing near Michigan State University. So despite the…

  • Finish Ohio & More, Part 1 (Swipe Up)

    It’s been a work in progress. Slowly, ever slowly, I chipped away at Ohio counties as my older kid attended school in Michigan. I took a different route through Ohio multiple times, collecting counties and adding them to my list. So this was, I think, the sixth trip involving Ohio, all dutifully recorded on Twelve…

  • Washington Co., Maryland; Day 2

    The pressure was off once I flipped the status of Washington County to “overnight” on my County Counting list. Officially it became Overnight County #205. Now I could concentrate on exploring beyond Hagerstown and further into the countryside. Hancock I’ve always loved driving through Hancock on the western side of Washington County. I’ve mentioned it…

  • Washington Co., Maryland; Day 1

    I felt trapped at home, first because of a previous snowfall that refused to melt and later by a bout of the flu. Mentally I needed a change of scenery just to get away for awhile and reset my attitude. So this seemed like a perfect time to add another new overnight county to my…

  • Buc-ee’s Northernmost Outpost

    I’ve always been a sucker for a decent roadside attraction. It doesn’t even have to make sense, and in fact sometimes it’s even better when it doesn’t. So of course I added Buc-ee’s to my travel plans when they opened an outpost a few months ago in Mt. Crawford, Virginia (map). This chain of convenience…

  • Borderland, Part 4 (Walpole Algonac Ferry)

    Our brief respite in Ontario approached its conclusion and we had to return to the United States. Three days earlier, we crossed the border using the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron and Sarnia, which involved an hour-long wait. So this time we tried something different that had the added benefit of increasing my personal…