Author: Twelve Mile Circle
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Utah Adventure, Part 1
The hunt for geo-oddities in northern Utah is well underway. The family will want to visit more recognizable sights so I’ll have to mix in a few “normal” tourist activities along the way. I have to maintain a careful balance. Thus I need just enough to keep them entertained while giving me an opportunity to…
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Same Name Travel
As I prepare for my upcoming trip to Utah, I noticed that I will be collecting one of the counties named for a state, specifically Utah County, Utah. That’s the home county for Provo. I realize that I’ve called the counties named for states unimaginative and boring. Let my clarify that before I get a…
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Practical Exclaves of Andorra
I noticed something interesting when I created a recent article, Highest Lowpoints. Andorra is small, mountainous and trapped firmly between Spain and France. Thus it creates all sorts of interesting opportunities for practical exlaves and near-misses. Most of you are probably aware of practical exclaves. Others readers may require a quick summary. First, an exclave…
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Back to the Lines
My fascination with lines returns as a recurring theme once again on Twelve Mile Circle, like previous articles such as Wisconsin vs. Florida, Reno vs. Los Angeles, and Glasgow vs. Madrid. I found myself thinking about lines of latitude and longitude this morning when I noticed a random search engine query that pondered whether Portland,…
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Alien Encounters
Aliens have left their imprint on the landscape, at least according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Board on Geographic Names. I conducted a search on the Geographic Names Information System and encountered undeniable proof of two alien lifeforms among their 2,199,977 records. All joking aside, I don’t actually think the USGS is in cahoots with…
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Odds and Ends 2
Previously I composed of a collection of random thoughts, none of which merited an article on its own. It seemed to make sense to call it Odds and Ends. So I plan to do the same thing again today. Logically I should call this one Odds and Ends 2, like any good Hollywood blockbuster. Salt…
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Oreton
Have you ever been to Oreton? So you say you’ve never heard of it? Neither had I until a few days ago. Let’s just say it has some rather interesting urban design elements. England I started my search in England and found a Street View image of one Oreton candidate in a rural corner of…
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Bull’s Eye
It’s been awhile since I’ve given much thought to the Degree Confluence Project. I featured them in the earlier days of the Twelve Mile Circle, nearly three years ago as I recall. The project has its roots in a time before the complete ubiquity of the Internet, when the web was still capturing public attention…
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Cog Railways
Many years ago my fiancé (now wife) and I traveled through northern New England for two weeks. That was long ago. We actually tent-camped our way through a string of rustic state parks with few amenities. It changed to Bed-and-Breakfasts Inns after our marriage. Then it changed again to whatever hotel happened to have an…
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Nearly Willow
Many months ago I explored the Worst State Capital Locations and received a number of thoughtful and insightful comments. I examined conditions from various perspectives including the most inconveniently located state capital for an individual traveling from the largest city. Juneau, Alaska won that part of the competition hands-down. Residents from Anchorage face a daunting…