Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Modoc, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Modoc and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Modoc
- 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 Modoc:
- 32.343982, -106.579719
- 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 Modoc
- 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 Dona Ana County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Dona Ana County
- Since Modoc is near El Paso County and also Otero County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for El Paso County
- eBird sighting report for Otero 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 Modoc ...
We found eleven communities that share the name Modoc.
Within New Mexico, the name Modoc is unique.
Beyond New Mexico, we know of another eleven communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Jewell County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<2> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Modoc [Jewell County].
- Scott County
- This Modoc is located in Scott County and lies 524 miles [843.3 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Modoc that is located in Dona Ana County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Scott County community of Modoc.
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- West Virginia
Curious and Interesting Names Near Modoc ...
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.
- Anthony
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthony
- Anthony is located in Dona Ana County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anthony <4>
- Four Points
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Points have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Points
- Four Points is located in Dona Ana County
- Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west) - Mesquite
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mesquite have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesquite
- Mesquite is located in Dona Ana County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesquite <4>
- Organ ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Organ
- Organ is located in Dona Ana County
- Radium Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Radium Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radium Springs
- Radium Springs is located in Dona Ana County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Radium Springs <4>
- Spaceport City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spaceport City have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaceport City
- Spaceport City is located in Dona Ana County
- University Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Park have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Park
- University Park is located in Dona Ana County
How Far From Modoc to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Modoc to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Modoc once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Modoc and extending to:
- Las Cruces, which is the Seat of Dona Ana County, lies 11 miles [17.7 km]<1> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Modoc to Las Cruces, with an average speed<6> 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.
- Santa Fe, which is the State Capital of New Mexico, lies 232 miles [373.4 km] to the north (N). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 14 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,710 miles [2,752 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 67 days and walking would take 98 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,348 miles [11,825.5 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 8,104 miles [13,042.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 6,008 miles [9,668.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Dona Ana County: www.co.dona-ana.nm.us/
The official website for State of New Mexico: www.newmexico.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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- Modoc) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Modoc. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 32.3440, Longitude: -106.5797 In this case, the coordinates for Modoc have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <2> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Modoc could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Modoc, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | 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 Modoc to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 326.778 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 324.549 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 319.334 degrees. |