Tidbits & Trivia

Introduction ...

Below is our collection of tidbits and odds 'n ends for Keys Crossing.

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Keys Crossing, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Keys Crossing and the surrounding area.

Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Keys Crossing

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 Keys Crossing:
- 31.479257, -99.025913<1>
- 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.
- Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Keys Crossing

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 Brown County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Brown County
- Since Keys Crossing is near San Saba County and also McCulloch County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- Open the eBird sighting report for San Saba County
- Open the eBird sighting report for McCulloch 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:
- Open the Waymark.com report for Keys Crossing

Curious and Interesting Names Near Keys Crossing ...

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.

Buffalo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Buffalo is located in Mills County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
Duke Crossing
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Duke Crossing is located in Mills County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Crossing
Dulin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Dulin is also located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dulin
Elm Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Elm Grove is located in San Saba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Grove
Hall
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hall is located in San Saba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hall
Indian Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Indian Creek is also located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Indian Creek
- From Keys Crossing to Indian Creek
Locker ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Locker was located in San Saba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locker
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Locker
- From Keys Crossing to Locker
Mercury
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mercury is located in McCulloch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercury
Placid
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Placid is located in McCulloch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Placid
Regency ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Regency was located in Mills County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency
Ridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Ridge is located in Mills County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Ridge
- From Keys Crossing to Ridge
Spring Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Creek is located in San Saba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
Tenmile Crossing
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tenmile Crossing is also located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenmile Crossing
Trickham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Trickham is located in Coleman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trickham
- Former name for Trickham:
- Trick'em
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Trickham
- From Keys Crossing to Trickham

How Far From Keys Crossing 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 included the distance from a community such as Keys Crossing to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Keys Crossing and extending to:

Brownwood, which is the Seat of Brown County, lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<2> to the north. If you could walk a straight line from Keys Crossing to Brownwood, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take five to six hours.
Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 113 miles [181.9 km] to the southeast (SE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,338 miles [2,153.3 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take about three full days, a buggy would take 53 days and walking would take 76 days.
The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,136 miles [11,484.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,873 miles [12,670.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,753 miles [9,258.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>

Footnotes ...

<1>	GPS Coordinates for Keys Crossing: Decimal: 31.47925, -99.025913 DDMMSS: 31° 28' 45", -99° 1' 33"
<2>	Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Keys Crossing) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Keys Crossing to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Keys Crossing. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.4793, Longitude: -99.0259
<5>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 321.264 degrees.
<6>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 317.884 degrees.
<7>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 315.787 degrees.