RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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The Commemorative
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The Commemorative Quarter for California







Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Vinland, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Vinland 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 Vinland:
    • 35.714305, -119.231297
    • 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 Vinland
  • 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 Kern County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • eBird sighting report for Kern County
    • Since Vinland is near Tulare County, we have provided a link to its eBird sighting report:
    • eBird sighting report for Tulare 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 Vinland ...

We found two communities that share the name Vinland.

Within California, the name Vinland is unique.

Beyond California, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Kansas
      • Douglas County
      • This Vinland is located in Douglas County and lies 1,334 miles [2,146.9 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Vinland that is located in Kern County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Douglas County community of Vinland.
    • Washington
      • Kitsap County
      • This Vinland is located in Kitsap County and lies 851 miles [1,369.6 km]<1> to the north of the Vinland that is located in Kern County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Kitsap County community of Vinland.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Vinland ...

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.

  • Elmo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
    • Elmo is located in Kern County
  • Halfway House
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Halfway House have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway House
    • Halfway House is located in Kern County
  • Hights Corner
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hights Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hights Corner
    • Hights Corner is located in Kern County
  • Jasmin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jasmin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasmin
    • Jasmin is located in Kern County
  • Leonards ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonards have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonards
    • Leonards is located in Kern County
  • Mexican Colony
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mexican Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mexican Colony
    • Mexican Colony is located in Kern County
  • Minter Village
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minter Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minter Village
    • Minter Village is located in Kern County
  • Pixley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Pond
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond
    • Pond is located in Kern County

How Far From Vinland 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 Vinland to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Vinland and extending to:

  • Bakersfield, which is the Seat of Kern County, lies 27 miles [43.5 km]<1> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Vinland to Bakersfield, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
  • Sacramento, which is the State Capital of California, lies 233 miles [375 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 14 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,307 miles [3,712.8 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 91 days and walking would take 131 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,483 miles [12,042.7 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,252 miles [13,280.3 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,262 miles [10,077.7 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Vinland. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Kern County: www.co.kern.ca.us/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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- Vinland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vinland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.7143, Longitude: -119.2313       In this case, the coordinates for Vinland 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're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Vinland 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 337.286 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 337.519 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 326.228 degrees.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024