Coast Defense Study Group

I don’t generally review individual websites. I’ve done that in the distant past and even then in happened only on rare occasions. It’s not because I don’t believe they’re not worthy. Rather, it’s because I like to provide links that align with a specific context I’m attempting to portray on 12MC. Plus, I’m not very good at predicting whether websites will flourish over time. Reviews become worthless when the subject goes away. I don’t think we’ll have a problem here. The organization I’ll feature today has been around for more than 25 years.

It’s "Random Topic Thursday," my ongoing effort to put a dent in my overflowing list of potential topics. The oracle said that I should review the Coast Defense Study Group today. And so I shall.

Incidentally, Random Topic Thursday is pretty random itself. I don’t do it every Thursday so I guess it could be described more accurately as Random, Random Topic Thursday.

What is the Coast Defense Study Group exactly? I’m glad you asked. I’ll let them use their own words:

The CDSG is a non-profit corporation formed to promote the study of coast defenses and fortifications, primarily but not exclusively those of the United States of America; their history, architecture, technology, and strategic and tactical employment.

That’s probably why I added their site to my list so long ago I can’t remember when it happened. I’m a sucker for forts, fortresses and fortifications. I’ve visited a number of them during my travels including those that could be classified as coastal defenses. I’m a relentless counter, and not simple a one-dimensional county counter either, although I do happen to enjoy immensely. I also count lighthouses, ferries, breweries, waterfalls and of course fortifications. I manage to keep my counting under control so it’s a relatively mild and harmless form of obsessive-compulsive behavior I suppose.

The site has an old-school Web 1.0 (or earlier) feel to it, I say nostalgically. That’s fine; it’s the content that matters to me anyway and they add to the site continuously. The simple HTML structure doesn’t detract from my opinion of it. I wouldn’t feature a site simply because it was pretty. The site includes a wealth of information and resources on coastal defenses tucked away on numerous pages, forums, and newsletter archives. The organization has roughly 500 members which surprised me in a good way. It’s nice to know that so many individuals managed have banded together in a common cause.

I enjoyed the "Most Endangered" page in particular. I’ve actually been to two of the fortifications included on the list:

This was 2006 at Ft. Screven. My little guy is a lot bigger now!

Fort Screven (map) is located on Tybee Island in Georgia. As far as coastal fortifications go, this one came later than most of those I’ve visited. The primary era of service was just prior to the Spanish-American War until just after World War II, so about 1897-1947. The Tybee Island visitors website says, "Today, visitors marvel at the private residences nestled atop the fort’s walls…" Well, that’s why the Coast Defense Study Group considers Fort Screven to be an endangered site. Marvelous private residences and vigorous historic preservation seem clash in conflicting interests here.

Don’t tell the CDSG that I was there more for the lighthouse than the fort. I do love fortifications — don’t get me wrong — I like lighthouses more.

Except when I don’t.

Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park

I definitely went to Dry Tortugas National Park to see Fort Jefferson (map). That was a magnificent location I will never forget. Sure, a puny lighthouse perches atop a fortress wall and another one on an adjacent key, but in this instance the fort stole the show. It’s the largest masonry fortification in the Western Hemisphere and all sixteen million bricks had to be floated here from long distances.

The heyday of Fort Jefferson was the Civil War and its aftermath. It’s probably most notorious as the prison for Dr. Samuel Mudd in the wake of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

Fort Jefferson is in need of restoration and some of that was happening during my visit. However much still remains to be done.

I applaud the efforts of the CDSG. I’m not much of a joiner and I’ll mention once again a quote attributed to Groucho Marx: "I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member." If I were a joiner I’d probably consider teaming up with this gang though.

More County Counters

The comedian Groucho Marx reputedly stated, "I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member." I must profess more than passing sympathy with that point of view. I’ve never been much of a joiner, and I prefer to follow solo pursuits.

This very blog is an example. I am grateful and humbled that a select group of particularly enlightened individuals follow along regularly but I do this more for my own personal enjoyment than for readership. For me it’s not a contest for eyeballs, but an opportunity to learn and grow from a set of topics that interest me. Nonetheless, in the unlikely event I was to ever join a club, I think I’ve found a promising candidate or rather I think one has found me.

I received an email message a few days ago from J. Stephen Conn of the County Counting website, letting me know that I’m far from unique in my pursuit to visit every county in the United States. You’ll recall that I entered my 1,000th county recently and I was pretty smug about my accomplishment (currently I’m up to 1,018). Stephen was also kind enough to feature my county map in one of his recent blog postings and let me know that I was off to a great start. Thanks, Stephen. It’s nice to hear some words of encouragement from someone who has truly excelled at this pursuit.

I spent some time poking around his site and exploring the internal and external links. I found all sorts of interesting things as I pulled and tugged at the various county counting threads. For example, there’s a guy who has actually documented his visit to every single county in the United States. It’s amazing but true, and something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to accomplish in my lifetime.

From there I found the Mob-Rule Counties page. There are a number of useful modules on the site but I found three of them particularly handy:

1. It allows users to build maps of all the counties they’ve visited. I’ve done the same on my own using graphics software but this little utility produces them in an automated fashion. The long list of users and their accomplishments proves that my 1,000+ total is pretty respectable but it’s still nowhere near the top.
2. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a highway clips the corner of a county or just barely misses it. I’ve faced this problem several times as I’ve compiled my list, and it’s a big deal. Is the county in or is it out? Mob-Rule catalogs many of those locations along Interstate highways with well-researched determinations and definitive answers.
3. I’ve complained before that Google Maps does not include county lines (although Mapquest does). Mob-Rule places county line overlays upon Google Maps, thus solving the quandary.

I also followed the trail to the Extra Miler Club which describes itself as:

…a group of about 300 chronic road trippers who share (approximately) the same goal: to visit, at least once in life, each and every county in the United States. "Extra Milers," as we are called, keep track of our progress by coloring in counties on state maps. Members pass on their travel tips and experiences in our quarterly newsletter, The Extra Miler. We share progress reports, photo albums, and stories of the road at our annual meeting, which is held in a different city each summer.

It’s only $12 a year to join, and I actually considered it for a brief moment, but then my natural tendencies kicked-in. The annual meeting sounded pretty interesting, though. That’s when my poor wife who has long suffered through my bizarre geo-oddity behavior, announced I should plan on doing that with my second wife.

Ouch. Point taken.