Author: Twelve Mile Circle

  • 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 6 (Brews)

    If I’m talking about breweries, I must be near the end of this series. Yes, thankfully, that’s the truth. I appreciate all of you for sticking around to the end. In typical fashion I’ll state up-front that this is about appreciation of the craft; quality over quantity. So typically we’ll order a flight of small…

  • Bogue Banks Bound, Part 5 (Critters)

    I’ve covered some pretty comprehensive topics in the last several installments. So let’s get a little more lighthearted with the content and shift gears. Everybody loves animals, right? I sure do, and we saw a bunch of them on Bogue Banks. Whether captive or in the wild there was something here for everyone. North Carolina…

  • 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…

  • 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…