RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Craig County >> Captain >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Captain, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Captain 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 Captain:
    • 37.392434, -80.455145
    • 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 Captain
  • 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 Captain ...

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.

  • Clover Valley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clover Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Valley
    • Clover Valley is located in Montgomery County
  • Craig Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Craig Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craig Springs
    • Craig Springs is located in Craig County
  • Crimson Springs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crimson Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crimson Springs
    • Crimson Springs is located in Monroe County (WV)
  • Hunters Ridge
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunters Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Ridge
    • Hunters Ridge is located in Montgomery County
  • Maggie
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maggie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maggie
    • Maggie is located in Craig County
  • Maybrook
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maybrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maybrook
    • Maybrook is located in Giles County
  • Meadow Brook
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook
    • Meadow Brook is located in Montgomery County
  • Meadow Run
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Run
    • Meadow Run is located in Montgomery County
  • Mountain Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mountain View
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
    • Mountain View is located in Montgomery County
  • Murphy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murphy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy
    • Murphy is located in Montgomery County
  • Patrick Henry Place
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patrick Henry Place have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patrick Henry Place
    • Patrick Henry Place is located in Montgomery County
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Pheasant Run
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pheasant Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pheasant Run
      • Pheasant Run is located in Montgomery County
    • Silver Leaf
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Leaf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Leaf
      • Silver Leaf is located in Montgomery County
    • Sinking Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinking Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinking Creek
      • Sinking Creek is located in Craig County
    • Stonegate
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stonegate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonegate
      • Stonegate is located in Montgomery County
    • Sundance Ridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sundance Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sundance Ridge
      • Sundance Ridge is located in Montgomery County
    • Sundance Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sundance Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sundance Village
      • Sundance Village is located in Montgomery County
    • University Place
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Place have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Place
      • University Place is located in Montgomery County
    • University Terrace
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Terrace
      • University Terrace is located in Montgomery County
    • Valley Mill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Mill
      • Valley Mill is located in Craig County

How Far From Captain 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 Captain to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • New Castle, which is the Seat of Craig County, lies 20 miles [32.2 km]<2> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Captain to New Castle, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
  • Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 165 miles [265.5 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 10 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 212 miles [341.2 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 9 days and walking would take 12 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,107 miles [9,828.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,814 miles [10,966.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,691 miles [7,549.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>

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>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- Captain) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Captain. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.3924, Longitude: -80.4551       In this case, the coordinates for Captain have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Captain 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 309.974 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.586 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.675 degrees.