Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Junction Switch, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Junction Switch and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Junction Switch
- 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 Junction Switch:
- 42.276667, -91.202926
- 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 Junction Switch
- 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 Jones County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Jones County
- Since Junction Switch is near Delaware County and also Dubuque County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Delaware County
- eBird sighting report for Dubuque 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 Junction Switch ...
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.
- Amber
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amber
- Amber is located in Jones County
- Cascade
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
- Cascade is located in Dubuque County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,350 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cascade <1>
- Dales Ford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dales Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dales Ford
- Dales Ford is located in Jones County
- Downers Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downers Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downers Grove
- Downers Grove is located in Jones County
- Edinburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Gilt Edge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north) - Prairieburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieburg
- Prairieburg is located in Linn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
- Rockville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Rockville is located in Delaware County
- Sand Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Springs
- Sand Springs is located in Delaware County
- Scotch Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotch Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotch Grove
- Scotch Grove is located in Jones County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotch Grove <1>
- Springhole
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springhole have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springhole
- Springhole is located in Jones County
How Far From Junction Switch 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 Junction Switch to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Junction Switch and extending to:
- Anamosa, which is the Seat of Jones County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Junction Switch to Anamosa, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
- Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 132 miles [212.4 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 8 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 777 miles [1,250.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 31 days and walking would take 45 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,290 miles [10,122.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,037 miles [11,325 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,928 miles [7,930.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Junction Switch. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Jones County: www.co.jones.ia.us/
The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Junction Switch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Junction Switch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2767, Longitude: -91.2029 In this case, the coordinates for Junction Switch have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Junction Switch 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 316.841 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.134 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.254 degrees. |