Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Balch Camp, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Balch Camp and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Balch Camp
- 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 Balch Camp:
- 36.903003, -119.123171
- 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 Balch Camp
- 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 Fresno County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Fresno County
- Since Balch Camp is near Tulare County and also Nevada County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Tulare County
- eBird sighting report for Nevada 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 Balch Camp ...
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.
- Cedarbrook
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedarbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarbrook
- Cedarbrook is located in Fresno County
- Crabtree
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Deer Crossing
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Crossing
- Deer Crossing is located in Fresno County
- Dinkey Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dinkey Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dinkey Creek
- Dinkey Creek is located in Fresno County
- Goodmill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Rodgers Crossing
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodgers Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodgers Crossing
- Rodgers Crossing is located in Fresno County
- Rogers Crossing
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Crossing
- Rogers Crossing is located in Fresno County
- Sawmill Flat
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawmill Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmill Flat
- Sawmill Flat is located in Fresno County
- Trimmer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
How Far From Balch Camp 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 Balch Camp to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Balch Camp and extending to:
- Fresno, which is the Seat of Fresno County, lies 36 miles [57.9 km]<2> to the west southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Balch Camp to Fresno, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take over two days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just about two full days.
- Sacramento, which is the State Capital of California, lies 173 miles [278.4 km] to the northwest (NW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,276 miles [3,662.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 89 days and walking would take 130 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,405 miles [11,917.2 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,174 miles [13,154.8 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,190 miles [9,961.8 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Balch Camp. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Fresno County: www.co.fresno.ca.us/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Balch Camp) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Balch Camp. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.9030, Longitude: -119.1232 In this case, the coordinates for Balch Camp have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Balch Camp 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 337.344 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 337.662 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 326.166 degrees. |