Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Twelve Mile Circle

  • As Far as Vancouver

    Bellingham, Washington to Vancouver, British Columbia to Everett, Washington (May 15, 1998) Bellingham offered an easy shot into British Columbia, Canada. It also provided an opportunity to visit one of the strangest geographical anomalies in the United States — Point Roberts! In this vicinity the two countries set their border along the 49th parallel to…

  • Driving Up Puget Sound

    Tacoma to Snoqualmie Falls to La Conner to Bellingham, Washington (May 14, 1998) We stayed off I-5 to avoid spray coming off the trucks and followed a path through the town of Snoqualmie and its eponymous falls (map). A large inn sat aside wide cliffs of water. The cold, wind, and rain made us miss…

  • Pacific Northwest Breweriana

    Breweriana collected in the Pacific Northwest (May 8-17, 1998) Anyone who knows me understands that I like fine tasting beers. Thus, we compiled a large collection of breweriana on our trip to the Pacific Northwest. The photograph above shows the full set of glasses, growlers, coasters, and stickers. The collection made it home without too…

  • Counties in Virginia that I have Visited

    There are 133 Counties / Independent Cities in Virginia – “The Old Dominion“ Also be sure to see my United States County Counting Page for the rest of the states. I have visited 133 Counties / Independent Cities = 100% of Counties / Independent Cities in Virginia Counties visited are colored-in; counties still needing to…

  • Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay

    Accomack County, Virginia (June 2000) For many years I’d wanted to visit Tangier Island in the middle of Chesapeake Bay (map). People have inhabited Tangier for more than three hundred years, making a living from the bounty of the Bay, mostly isolated from their neighbors on the eastern and western shores. This has resulted in…

  • Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

    Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center; Fairfax County, Virginia, USA (January 2007) The Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center provides extra room for much of their extensive aircraft and spacecraft that cannot fit into their location on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The center sits about 25 miles west of the city on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport…

  • Dinosaur Land

    Near Winchester, Virginia (December 2007) In the days before Interstate highways, before large corporate theme parks and fast food restaurants, little mom-and-pop attractions provided the traveling public with a few moments of amusement and perhaps a brief rest as they traveled through rural America on rolling, winding two-lane asphalt. Kids hung their heads by the…

  • Counties in Vermont that I have Visited

    There are 14 Counties in Vermont – “The Green Mountain State“ Also be sure to see my United States County Counting Page for the rest of the states. I have visited 14 Counties = 100% of Counties in Vermont Counties visited are colored-in; counties still needing to be visited are blank.  Map created using Mob…

  • Green Mountain Railroad – White River Flyer

    White River Junction to Thetford, Vermont (October 2010) A beautiful early fall day is a perfect time for a ride on the Green Mountain Railroad. They offer three routes for tourist excursions: Burlington to Charlotte (“Champlain Valley Flyer”); Bellows Falls to Chester Depot (“Green Mountain Flyer”) and White River Junction to Thetford (“White River Flyer”).…

  • Counties in Utah that I have Visited

    There are 29 Counties in Utah – “The Beehive State“ Also be sure to see my United States County Counting Page for the rest of the states. I have visited 22 Counties = 75.9% of Counties in Utah Counties visited are colored-in; counties still needing to be visited are blank.  Map created using Mob Rule.…

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  2. Park ranger at Chalmette (New Orleans) Battlefield let me pull up the Union Jack 20 years ago. My dad would…

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