Category: Event
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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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Blank to Blank
I focused on towns named Welcome in a recent article here on Twelve Mile Circle, with specific attention to a sign outside of one in particular located in North Carolina: Welcome to Welcome. I wondered if other towns could cobble together similar symmetries at their city limits. All I could envision at the time was…
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Iron Butt Rally
I’d had a vague notion of the premise behind the Iron Butt Association, a loose organization of people addicted to extremely long-distance motorcycle rides. But the basic membership, the absolutely easiest level, requires a documented ride of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) within 24 hours. They call it the SaddleSore 1000. Rides quickly increase in difficulty…
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Let’s Decide
The loyal readers of the Twelve Mile Circle certainly came through with a number of great suggestions for the most Iconic View. I have multiple favorites and I imagine you probably do too. There’s no objective way that I believe I can select a single winner. With that in mind, I’ve decided to let the…
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Iconic Views
Skip directly to the bottom if you want to be part of a little contest. Otherwise feel free to read through my blathering extended explanation of context for a few moments. I featured a nice Google Street View image of the historic Hume School in Arlington County, Virginia recently. It seemed familiar, and not because…
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Mistaken Identity, Part 3
I’ve called the final installment of my series on geographic mistaken identities, Baltimore, DC. A couple of comments on the earlier articles referenced people making the wrong assumptions about airports. This is another instance of that phenomenon so I won’t dwell on it for long. Instead I’ll keep it short. That way I have room…
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Mistaken Identity, Part 2
I call the second case of mistaken geographic identity the “Invasion of a Maryland Beach Town!” This instance of mistaken geography happened long before my birth, and all the way back in 1941. It became Howder family legend. And it will undoubtedly pass along to our progeny for generations to come. Some families bestow royal…
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Mistaken Identity, Part 1
I know it’s sometimes difficult for us to believe, being all geo-geeky and such, that not everyone shares our passion for geography. I couldn’t help being reminded of that when I started drafting my latest new visitor roundup. It brought to mind a story from my past when an incorrect geographic assumption caused quite a…
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County Counter Extraordinaire
Fritz Keppler of Arlington, Virginia recently discovered my humble Twelve Mile Circle blog as he searched for the boundaries of the Sandoval County exclave. He’s quickly become a regular reader and contributor in the comments section over the last few weeks. One early comment caught my eye in particular. I fixated on its enormity as…
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One Flew Over the Void
International borders serve as fodder for a frequently recurring topic on Twelve Mile Circle. I’ve written about borders in tunnels, borders across islands, and borders creating odd exclaves. I’ve even discussed a border that I crossed of somewhat dubious legality. However none of those approach the epic heights of one particularly noteworthy border crossing that…