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Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy).
When in Drift River, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Drift River and the surrounding area.
- 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 Drift River:
- 60.591667, -152.161111
- 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 Drift River
- 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 Drift River ...
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.
In the vicinity of Drift River, Clam Gulch is located 35 miles [56.3 km]<1> to the Southeast
How Far From Drift River to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Drift River to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Drift River and extending to:
- Juneau, which is the State Capital of Alaska, lies 640 miles [1,030 km]<1> to the east (E). If you could drive a straight line from Drift River to Juneau, with an average speed<2>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 37 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 25 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 3,440 miles [5,536.1 km] to the east (E). Driving would take 7 days, a buggy would take 135 days and walking would take 196 days.
- The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,037 miles [9,715.6 km] and it lies to the north (N).<4>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,726 miles [10,824.4 km] and it lies to the north (N).<5>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,298 miles [8,526.3 km] and it lies to the north (N).<6>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Drift River. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page. The official website for State of Alaska: alaska.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Drift River) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Drift River. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 60.5917, Longitude: -152.1611 In this case, the coordinates for Drift River have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
<2> | 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. |
<3> | 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 Drift River to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
<4> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 6.289 degrees. |
<5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 11.243 degrees. |
<6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 348.295 degrees. |
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