Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Category: Distance

  • The Grassy Knoll

    This small hillside marks perhaps the most controversial landscaping feature in modern United States history. It has been linked inextricably with shadowy figures and sinister secrets. It is the infamous Grassy Knoll. President John F. Kennedy rode directly past this spot when gunfire ended his life on November 23, 1963. Depending on the evidence one…

  • The John McCain Flight

    DISCLAIMER: This is a geography and travel blog, not a political blog. No endorsement or disparagement is intended. Later today I get to take the John McCain flight. No, I don’t get to fly with John McCain. I’m talking about the regularly-scheduled flight that is a small part of his political legacy. An Airport on…

  • Australia’s Weird Little Time Zone

    Continental Australia is divided into three standard time zones, Western, Central and Eastern. It’s pretty simple to understand even bearing in mind that Australian Central Standard Time aligns with the half-hour (UTC+9:30). Individual Australian states and territories determine whether to recognise Daylight Saving Time (DST) or not. Far-flung Australian island territories and its Antarctic stations…

  • Interstate Highway Numbers in the United States

    Did you ever wonder whether there was a plan behind the numbering of interstate highways in the United States? It makes sense that someone has to handle it to avoid repetition or confusion. So how logical is the process and what are the rules? The interstate highway network, or more properly the “Dwight D. Eisenhower…

  • State of the Circle

    It’s difficult for me to believe, but I just hit the six month point with Twelve Mile Circle. So I thought I would take a moment to look back at the site by reviewing some highlights. Maybe I’ll even reflecting briefly upon the path that lead to this point. I wasn’t sure I’d last even…

  • Lake Pontchartrain Bridges

    I marveled at the sheer size of Lake Pontchartrain as I traveled between my brief stops in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. There I crossed several miles of open water on a bridge. The water rolled beneath Interstate 10 as I drove in a stiff breeze. Twin Span Bridge The Twin Span…

  • Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

    At one time France controlled vast holdings throughout North America. They stretched far into the interior and all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. France had been a great colonial power in North America since the Sixteenth Century while jostling against the territorial aspirations of Britain and Spain. The other powers ascended, often…

  • When Categories Collide!

    Here I explore a mashup of two wonderful topics covered in previous posts. I’ll combine the County Highpointers Association and the epilogue to my Smallest County Series. I decided to see whether I could reach the highpoints of both the smallest self-governing county in the United States and the smallest “county equivalent” location recognized by…

  • Northernmost Ferry in Canada

    The northernmost Ferry in Canada, and indeed for all of North America, is the Arctic Red River Ferry. It serves the Gwich’in settlement of Tsiigehtchic in the Northwest Territories. This is so far north that it’s actually above the Arctic Circle. Arctic Red River Ferry The ferry provides a vital link in the continuity of…

  • Wollaston Lake’s Unusual Drainage

    Water flows downhill naturally towards the sea. At a continental divide, water on each side of the divide will flow towards a different sea. Sometimes the final destinations will be hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart. Occasionally a divide will pass through a standing body of water such as a pond or a lake.…