Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gitchel, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gitchel and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gitchel
- 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 Gitchel:
- 42.782250, -85.841699
- 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 Gitchel
- 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 Ottawa County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Ottawa County
- Since Gitchel is near Allegan County and also Kent County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Allegan County
- eBird sighting report for Kent 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 Gitchel ...
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.
- Beaverdam
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest) - Beverly
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
- Beverly is located in Kent County
- Clyde Park
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde Park
- Clyde Park is located in Kent County
- Corning
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east) - Cutlerville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutlerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutlerville
- Cutlerville is located in Kent County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cutlerville <2>
- Diamond Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Springs
- Diamond Springs is located in Allegan County
- Forest Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove
- Forest Grove is located in Ottawa County
- Forest Grove Station
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove Station
- Forest Grove Station is located in Ottawa County
- Galewood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galewood
- Galewood is located in Kent County
- Green Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lake
- Green Lake is located in Allegan County
- Jamestown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Jamestown is located in Ottawa County
- Sandy Pines
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Pines
- Sandy Pines is located in Allegan County
- Wyoming
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
- Wyoming is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76,628 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wyoming <2>
How Far From Gitchel to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Gitchel to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Gitchel and extending to:
- Grand Haven, which is the Seat of Ottawa County, lies 27 miles [43.5 km]<3> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Gitchel to Grand Haven, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 65 miles [104.6 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 532 miles [856.2 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take just over a day, a buggy would take 21 days and walking would take 31 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,073 miles [9,773.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,811 miles [10,961.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,694 miles [7,554.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gitchel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Ottawa County: www.co.ottawa.mi.us/
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.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> | 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 'straight-line' (or 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- Gitchel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gitchel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.7822, Longitude: -85.8417 In this case, the coordinates for Gitchel 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 Gitchel 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 313.235 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 310.095 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.40 degrees. |