Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Author: Twelve Mile Circle

  • By George, Part 2

    With numerous places named for British Kings George I, II and III already examined and set-aside in the previous article, it was time to turn my attention to IV, V and VI. This would be more difficult. The first set of Georges ruled for a contiguous period of more than a century, from 1714 to…

  • By George

    What were the odds of seeing Twelve Mile Circle visitors from George, South Africa and George, Washington, USA on the same day? I found the coincidence fascinating. The city of George in Washington was, of course, named for George Washington. That other George in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, I suspected, must have been named…

  • Australia’s Time Zone Corners

    Twelve Mile Circle loves mail! I’ve discovered all sorts of interesting geographic artifacts from readers who’ve sent a much appreciated note. This time a message arrived from reader “Jonathan” who has offered several suggestions in the past. So he mentioned a place he noticed while looking at maps of Australia. He found Cameron Corner, at…

  • And So, Part 2

    I found such a wealth of information about the six nations split by the conjunction “AND” that I had to divide them into two articles. The first article covered Antigua and Barbuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. This one will finish the remaining nations, continuing in alphabetical order. Once again I want…

  • And So

    I’ve paid close attention to country names during my many years of combing through 12MC access logs. Naturally I’ve looked for patterns and trends. I’m not sure what drew my particular attention to the names of nations containing the conjunction AND. It was probably one of those days when multiple instances appeared by chance. I…

  • Appalachian Loop, Part 6 (Seeing is Believing)

    I knew I needed to create my own fun when I chose to drive through an area that didn’t cater much to outsiders. The people of Appalachia are friendly and always seem welcoming, so that wasn’t the issue. It’s simply that tourism isn’t a major preoccupation there. It didn’t help that my adventure happened at…

  • Appalachian Loop, Part 5 (Bridges)

    Several months ago I went on a fifty mile cycling adventure on a bright, late-summer morning in Maryland. Afterwards I made an effort to describe the Bridges of Frederick County that I’d encountered. The lack of reader response didn’t deter me from my emerging fascination, either. It seems I have a thing for bridges, covered…

  • Appalachian Loop, Part 4 (Hatfield and McCoy)

    I wondered what we might do during our brief Appalachian adventure beyond my stated purpose. Originally I simply wanted to collect Virginia’s final counties. I would have been happy to drive the full distance without stopping although that wouldn’t have been fair to my passengers. However, there didn’t seem to be much in the way…

  • Appalachian Loop, Part 3 (Cultural Threads)

    Appalachia described more than a physical geography. It described a proudly self-reliant people who’d lived within these hills and hollows on their own wits for more than two centuries. I mentioned some of my perceptions after I visited Kentucky in 2013. It would be all to easy to reduce Appalachia to unfair hillbilly stereotypes. Naturally…

  • Appalachian Loop, Part 2 (Vistas)

    Notions of endless horizons came to mind as I prepared for an Appalachian Loop. We would cross mountaintops, dip into hollows and follow valley flatlands along tumbling rivers amid early signs of spring. This journey promised stunning scenery in a little-visited and often under-appreciated rural preserve. People who ventured into Appalachia as tourists usually came…