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Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching). 
When in Ex-Way, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ex-Way 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 Ex-Way:
 
- 35.172091, -79.871717
 
- 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 Ex-Way
 
   
- 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 Ex-Way ...
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. 
- Candor
 (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Candor have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candor
 - Candor is located in Montgomery County
 - Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
 
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Candor <2>
 
  - Chip
 (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chip have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chip
 - Chip is located in Montgomery County
   - Emerald Shores
 (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emerald Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Shores
 - Emerald Shores is located in Montgomery County
   - Littles Mill
 (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Littles Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littles Mill
 - Littles Mill is located in Richmond County
   - Lookout ‑ Historic
 (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lookout have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookout
 - Lookout is located in Anson County
   - Norman
 (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norman have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norman
 - Norman is located in Richmond County
 - Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
 
  - Pee Dee
 (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pee Dee have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pee Dee
 - Pee Dee is located in Montgomery County
   - Plain View
 (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plain View have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
 - Plain View is located in Richmond County
   - Wind Blow
 (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wind Blow have been provided by the GNIS.<1>  The coordinates still need to be verified.
 
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wind Blow
 - Wind Blow is located in Montgomery County
    
How Far From Ex-Way 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 Ex-Way to various places of note, such as the White House. 
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Ex-Way and extending to: 
- Troy, which is the Seat of Montgomery County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> to the north.  If you could walk a straight line from Ex-Way to Troy, 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.
 
- Raleigh, which is the State Capital of North Carolina, lies 80 miles [128.7 km] to the east northeast (ENE).  Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour,  would take less than two hours, a buggy would take most of three days and walking would take 5 days.
 
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 300 miles [482.8 km] to the north northeast (NNE).  Driving  would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 12 days and walking would take 17 days.
 
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,180 miles [9,945.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
 
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,876 miles [11,065.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
 
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,757 miles [7,655.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  
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> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |  
| <3> | 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  drawn from Point A (ie- Ex-Way) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ex-Way.  The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.1721, Longitude: -79.8717        In this case, the coordinates for Ex-Way 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 Ex-Way 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 309.664 degrees. |  
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.905 degrees. |  
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.143 degrees. |  
 
 
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