Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ironsides, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ironsides and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ironsides
- 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 Ironsides:
- 38.491788, -77.159700
- 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 Ironsides
- 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 Charles County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Charles County
- Since Ironsides is near Prince William County and also Stafford County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Prince William County
- eBird sighting report for Stafford 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 Ironsides ...
We found four communities that share the name Ironsides.
Within Maryland, the name Ironsides is unique.
Beyond Maryland, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these four communities, three are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- California
- New York
- Ontario
- This Ironsides lies 456 miles [733.9 km]<1> to the north of the Ironsides that is located in Charles County.
- Pennsylvania
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ironsides ...
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.
- Cedar Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Cedar Grove is located in Charles County
- Cooks Ferry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooks Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Ferry
- Cooks Ferry is located in Charles County
- Hickory Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
- Hickory Hill is located in Charles County
- Hill Top
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east) - Holly Haven
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holly Haven have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Haven
- Holly Haven is located in Charles County
- Jones View
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jones View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones View
- Jones View is located in Charles County
- Liverpool Wharf
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liverpool Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liverpool Wharf
- Liverpool Wharf is located in Charles County
- Marshope
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest) - Mount Hope
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Mount Hope is located in Charles County
- Nelson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Redhill
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
How Far From Ironsides 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 Ironsides to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ironsides and extending to:
- La Plata, which is the Seat of Charles County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Ironsides to La Plata, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Annapolis, which is the State Capital of Maryland, lies 49 miles [78.9 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take most of two days and walking would take about three full days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 28 miles [45.1 km] to the north northeast (NNE). The buggy would take just over a day and walking would take just about two full days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,920 miles [9,527.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,623 miles [10,658.7 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,501 miles [7,243.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ironsides. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Charles County: www.charlescounty.org/
The official website for State of Maryland: www.maryland.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 from Point A (ie- Ironsides) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ironsides. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4918, Longitude: -77.1597 In this case, the coordinates for Ironsides 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 Ironsides 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 307.986 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.487 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.921 degrees. |