Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Shades Run, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Shades Run and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Shades Run
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Shades Run:
- 33.334834, -86.876935
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Shades Run
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Jefferson County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Jefferson County
- Since Shades Run is near Shelby County and also Tuscaloosa County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- eBird sighting report for Tuscaloosa County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Curious and Interesting Names Near Shades Run ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Eden Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eden Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Ridge
- Eden Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Greenwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Greenwood is located in Jefferson County
- Helena
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Helena is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,374 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helena <2>
- High Point
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for High Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point
- High Point is located in Jefferson County
- Hilltop
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west) - Hopewell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Laceys Chapel
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laceys Chapel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laceys Chapel
- Laceys Chapel is located in Jefferson County
- Mars Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Paramount
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Continue List (6 more) ...
- Rolling Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolling Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolling Ridge
- Rolling Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Roy Ford
(Less than 2 miles to the east) - Royal Oaks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royal Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Oaks
- Royal Oaks is located in Shelby County
- Shadywood
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Weeping Oaks
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weeping Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeping Oaks
- Weeping Oaks is located in Shelby County
- Whispering Oaks
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whispering Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Oaks
- Whispering Oaks is located in Jefferson County
- Rolling Ridge
How Far From Shades Run to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Shades Run to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Shades Run and extending to:
- Birmingham, which is the Seat of Jefferson County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<3> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Shades Run to Birmingham, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 74 miles [119.1 km] to the south southeast (SSE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 669 miles [1,076.7 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 27 days and walking would take 38 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,563 miles [10,562.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,271 miles [11,701.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,148 miles [8,284.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shades Run. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Jefferson County: www.jeffcointouch.com/
The official website for State of Alabama: https://www.alabama.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Shades Run) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shades Run. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.3348, Longitude: -86.8769 In this case, the coordinates for Shades Run have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <4> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <5> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Shades Run to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 313.71 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.301 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.365 degrees. |