Tidbits & Trivia

Introduction ...

Below is our collection of tidbits and odds 'n ends for Loper.

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Loper, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Loper and the surrounding area.

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Loper

• 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 Loper:
  • 31.581551, -88.300014<1>
  • 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.
  • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Loper

• 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 Washington County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Washington County
  • Since Loper is near Choctaw County and also Wayne County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Choctaw County
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Wayne 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:
  • Open the Waymark.com report for Loper

Curious and Interesting Names Near Loper ...

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.

• Carpenter
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Carpenter is also located in Washington County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
• Chapel Hill
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Chapel Hill is also located in Washington County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Hill
• Frankville
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Frankville is also located in Washington County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
• Healing Springs
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Healing Springs is also located in Washington County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
• Jordan
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Jordan is also located in Washington County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
• Rescueville
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Rescueville is located in Choctaw County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rescueville
• Shady Grove
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Shady Grove is also located in Washington County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
• Silver Cross
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Silver Cross is also located in Washington County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Cross

How Far From Loper 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 included the distance from a community such as Loper to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Loper and extending to:

• Chatom, which is the Seat of Washington County, lies just to the South Southeast.
• Montgomery, which is the State Capital of Alabama, lies 129 miles [207.6 km]<2> to the east northeast (ENE). If you could drive a straight line from Loper to Montgomery, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 8 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 5 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 810 miles [1,303.6 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 32 days and walking would take 46 days.
• The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,707 miles [10,793.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,413 miles [11,930.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,290 miles [8,513.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>