Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Simmons Gap, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Simmons Gap and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Simmons Gap
- 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 Simmons Gap:
- 38.296796, -78.621962
- 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 Simmons Gap
- 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 Greene County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Greene County
- Since Simmons Gap is near Rockingham County and also Albemarle County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Rockingham County
- eBird sighting report for Albemarle 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
Curious and Interesting Names Near Simmons Gap ...
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.
- Almond ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Crossroads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crossroads have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossroads
- Crossroads is located in Albemarle County
- Davis Shop
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davis Shop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Shop
- Davis Shop is located in Albemarle County
- Island Ford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Island Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Ford
- Island Ford is located in Rockingham County
- Lydia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east) - Rocky Bar
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest) - Sandy Bottom
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Bottom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Sandy Bottom is located in Rockingham County
- Shady Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Shady Grove is located in Greene County
- Swift Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift Run
- Swift Run is located in Rockingham County
- Williams Fork
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williams Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Fork
- Williams Fork is located in Greene County
How Far From Simmons Gap 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 Simmons Gap to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Simmons Gap and extending to:
- Stanardsville, which is the Seat of Greene County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<2> to the east. If you could walk a straight line from Simmons Gap to Stanardsville, 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.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 83 miles [133.6 km] to the southeast (SE). 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 95 miles [152.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take less than two hours, a buggy would take three full days and walking would take 6 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,990 miles [9,640 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,697 miles [10,777.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,573 miles [7,359.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Simmons Gap. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Greene County: www.gcva.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Simmons Gap) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Simmons Gap. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2968, Longitude: -78.6220 In this case, the coordinates for Simmons Gap 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 Simmons Gap 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 308.858 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.449 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 305.602 degrees. |