Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Calcis, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Calcis and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Calcis
- 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 Calcis:
- 33.426333, -86.431531
- 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 Calcis
- 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 Shelby County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Shelby County
- Since Calcis is near Blount County and also Saint Clair County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Blount County
- eBird sighting report for Saint Clair 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 Calcis ...
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.
- Cedar Grove ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Cedar Grove is located in Jefferson County
- Chancellor Crossroads
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chancellor Crossroads have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chancellor Crossroads
- Chancellor Crossroads is located in Shelby County
- Cloverdale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Cloverdale is located in Shelby County
- Erratta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Fountainrun ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountainrun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountainrun
- Fountainrun is located in Saint Clair County
- Glovers Ferry
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glovers Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glovers Ferry
- Glovers Ferry is located in Talladega County
- Harpersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpersville
- Harpersville is located in Shelby County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,748 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harpersville <2>
- Heritage Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Park
- Heritage Park is located in Saint Clair County
- Indian Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Hill
- Indian Hill is located in Talladega County
- Kings Chapel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kings Chapel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Chapel
- Kings Chapel is located in Talladega County
- Maplewood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest) - Oak Crossing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Crossing
- Oak Crossing is located in Jefferson County
- Continue List (4 more) ...
- Pleasant Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant Grove is located in Saint Clair County
- Rocky Ridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge
- Rocky Ridge is located in Talladega County
- Shoal Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoal Creek
- Shoal Creek is located in Shelby County
- Wolf Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
- Wolf Creek is located in Saint Clair County
- Pleasant Grove
How Far From Calcis to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Calcis to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Calcis and extending to:
- Columbiana, which is the Seat of Shelby County, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<3> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Calcis to Columbiana, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 hours.
- Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 72 miles [115.9 km] to the south (S). 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 4 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 645 miles [1,038 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 26 days and walking would take 37 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,540 miles [10,525.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,248 miles [11,664.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,124 miles [8,246.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Calcis. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Shelby County: www.shelbycountyalabama.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 drawn from Point A (ie- Calcis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Calcis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.4263, Longitude: -86.4315 |
| <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 Calcis 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 313.448 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 309.011 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.168 degrees. |