Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Author: Twelve Mile Circle

  • Cape Hatteras Light

    Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Buxton, North Carolina (March 2012) The Cape Hatteras Light dominates the surrounding terrain. Unquestionably it serves as the most well-known lighthouse along the mid-Atlantic and maybe the nation.  The black-and-white spiral paint job beckons tourists down the spine of the Outer Banks.  It takes more than an hour of driving south…

  • Seattle, Washington to Astoria, Oregon

    Including Cape Disappointment (1998 and 2012) Our first full day began in a southerly direction. We woke early at a generic hotel outside Seatac Airport, seriously jet-lagged, and arrived in Olympia while most sane people slept-in. It was Saturday. Eventually the Farmers Market opened and we wandered the booths. We climbed the hill to the…

  • Cape Byron Lighthouse

    Byron Bay NSW, Australia (October 1997) Cape Byron is the eastern most point on the continent, where “Australia greets the day.” Strange geographic trivia has always fascinated me, so I dragged my wife as far along the cape as possible. We were running short on time so we missed our goal by a few hundred…

  • Cana Island Lighthouse

    Door County, Wisconsin (September 2000) Door County, Wisconsin attracts large numbers of visitors because of its natural beauty and its ease of access from large population centers such as Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago. One of the loveliest spots was Cana Island with its impressive lighthouse (map). One can reach Cana Island by walking across…

  • Bodie Island Light Station

    Cape Hatteras National SeashoreNags Head, North Carolina (March 2012) Bodie Island Light Station The lighthouse on Bodie Island (pronounced “Body” after an early family of the same name) doesn’t have quite the same level of fame or recognition as its cousin on Cape Hatteras but it’s certainly no less important. All of the lights along…

  • Biloxi Lighthouse

    Biloxi, Mississippi (April 2010) The Biloxi Lighthouse (map) is a symbol of the city, of hope and resilience in the wake of major hurricanes that have scoured the Gulf Coast for centuries. This is perhaps the most easily approachable lighthouse of any I’ve visited. Anyone can take Interstate 110 directly to the heart of Bilox…

  • Beaver Island Lighthouses

    Beaver Island, Michigan, USA (September 2000) There are a multitude of lighthouses in Lake Michigan within vicinity of Beaver Island.  Two of them can be visited on the island itself. Beaver Island Harbor (St. James) Lighthouse A lighthouse came into view as the ferry approached Beaver Island. The ferry pointed straight towards St. James, the…

  • Marigot Lighthouse

    Marigot, Saint-Martin (March 2011) I like visiting lighthouses and try to seek them out whenever I travel. The island of St. Martin seemed like a likely place for a lighthouse, particularly at the harbor for the capital city and major town on the French side, Marigot. Sure enough, some quick searching on the Internet identified…

  • Assateague Island Lighthouse

    Chincoteague National Wildlife Reserve; Assateague Island, Virginia (October 2012) The Assateague Lighthouse (map) is easily accessible and open to the public. A simple trip to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the northern end of Virginia’s Eastern Shore is all that’s required. Drive through the quaint fishing village of Chincoteague and across the causeway onto…

  • Fort Zachary Taylor

    Key West, Florida (April 2009) Fort Zachary Taylor (map) began its service to the country as one of the Third System coastal fortifications constructed in the wake of the War of 1812. The United States determined that it would be prudent and worthwhile to make their port cities less vulnerable to enemy invasion. This lesson…