Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rotan, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rotan and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rotan
- 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 Rotan:
- 33.967324, -91.547625
- 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 Rotan
- 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 Desha County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Desha County
- Since Rotan is near Lincoln County and also Arkansas County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Lincoln County
- eBird sighting report for Arkansas 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
Communities Also Named Rotan ...
We found two communities that share the name Rotan.
There is one other community in Arkansas which is also named Rotan.
Beyond Arkansas, there is another community also named Rotan in the United States.
- Communities Located In Arkansas ...
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rotan ...
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.
- Back Gate
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east) - Bicker Crossing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bicker Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bicker Crossing
- Bicker Crossing is located in Lincoln County
- Champion ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Fish Dock ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Four Groves ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Groves have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Groves
- Four Groves is located in Lincoln County
- Gourd
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south) - Jones Ferry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Ferry
- Jones Ferry is located in Jefferson County
- Pickens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast) - Reedville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast) - Rose Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Silt ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
How Far From Rotan 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 Rotan to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rotan and extending to:
- Arkansas City, which is the Seat of Desha County, lies 31 miles [49.9 km]<1> to the southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Rotan to Arkansas City, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- Little Rock, which is the State Capital of Arkansas, lies 67 miles [107.8 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 873 miles [1,405 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 35 days and walking would take 50 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,721 miles [10,816.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,445 miles [11,981.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,321 miles [8,563.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rotan. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rotan) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rotan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.9673, Longitude: -91.5476 In this case, the coordinates for Rotan have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Rotan to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 316.647 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.792 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 312.186 degrees. |