Category: U.S. Counties
-
Hawaii, Part 4 (Big Island: Kona)
Maui was all about fun in the sun, and now now we transitioned to a more active phase of our adventure as we moved to the “Big Island” of Hawaii. The entire state is called Hawaii of course, and so is it’s largest island. But more importantly it was the island’s other designation, the County…
-
Hawaii, Part 2 (Maui: Kihei & Wailea)
I knew our trip would involve three separate islands, Oahu, Maui, and the “Big Island” of Hawaii. However, there were many ways to figure a path. The route simplified when I realized we could take a direct flight from the mainland United States to several Hawaiian islands, not just Oahu. We had multiple options inbound…
-
Skyline Drive – North District
Skyline Drive hugs the crest of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles (169 kilometres), down the length of Shenandoah National Park. I’ve traveled every section of it, in whole or in part several times, as recently as 2022. So it felt like I rejoined an old friend as we undertook a day-trip from our…
-
Finish Ohio & More, Part 3 (Swipe Down)
Michigan was fun but now I needed to drive through Ohio for the last bit of unfinished business. Only three counties out of 88 remained unvisited in Ohio, aligned in a single contiguous row heading due south. It felt like bowling pins lined up for an easy spare. So look out Paulding, Van Wert, and…
-
Finish Ohio & More, Part 1 (Swipe Up)
It’s been a work in progress. Slowly, ever slowly, I chipped away at Ohio counties as my older kid attended school in Michigan. I took a different route through Ohio multiple times, collecting counties and adding them to my list. So this was, I think, the sixth trip involving Ohio, all dutifully recorded on Twelve…
-
Washington Co., Maryland; Day 2
The pressure was off once I flipped the status of Washington County to “overnight” on my County Counting list. Officially it became Overnight County #205. Now I could concentrate on exploring beyond Hagerstown and further into the countryside. Hancock I’ve always loved driving through Hancock on the western side of Washington County. I’ve mentioned it…
-
Washington Co., Maryland; Day 1
I felt trapped at home, first because of a previous snowfall that refused to melt and later by a bout of the flu. Mentally I needed a change of scenery just to get away for awhile and reset my attitude. So this seemed like a perfect time to add another new overnight county to my…
-
Interior Alaska, Part 1 (Golden Heart)
Fairbanks calls itself the Golden Heart of Alaska, a nod to its gold-rush past, its geographic placement deep within Interior Alaska, and presumably its demeanor. It’s the second largest metropolitan area in the state but it also feels like a small town. And that’s to be expected because even though it’s Alaska’s second largest metro,…
-
Arc of Columbus, Part 2
The quest to add new Ohio spots to my county counting list continued, padding my efforts from earlier in the day. The wide arc I took around the perimeter of Columbus swung from north, clockwise, now approaching due-east. The route now led into Licking County. Getting Licked Licking wasn’t completely unfamiliar because I’d been there…
-
Arc of Columbus, Part 1
The summer flew by so quickly. It seems like only yesterday that I drove to Michigan to pick up the kid from college after the end of the spring semester. It was a great trip and I managed to collect eight previously unvisited counties in Ohio along the way. But now I was doing the…