Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Riga, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Riga and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Riga
- 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 Riga:
- 41.809324, -83.825064
- 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 Riga
- 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 Lenawee County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Lenawee County
- Since Riga is near Monroe County and also Lucas County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Monroe County
- eBird sighting report for Lucas 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 Riga ...
We found four communities that share the name Riga.
Within Michigan, the name Riga is unique.
Beyond Michigan, we know of another four communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Kansas
- Missouri
- New York
- North Dakota
Curious and Interesting Names Near Riga ...
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.
- Assumption
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assumption
- Assumption is located in Fulton County (OH)
- Centennial ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centennial have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centennial
- Centennial is located in Lucas County (OH)
- Champion
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Jasper
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasper
- Jasper is located in Lenawee County
- Leslie ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Mulberry
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest) - Raisin Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raisin Center have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raisin Center
- Raisin Center is located in Lenawee County
- Silica
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast) - Townline ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest) - Treadway ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
How Far From Riga 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 Riga to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Riga and extending to:
- Adrian, which is the Seat of Lenawee County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Riga to Adrian, with an average speed<4> 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.
- Lansing, which is the State Capital of Michigan, lies 73 miles [117.5 km] to the north northwest (NNW). 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 409 miles [658.2 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take most of a day, a buggy would take 16 days and walking would take 24 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,043 miles [9,725.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,774 miles [10,901.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,652 miles [7,486.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Riga. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Lenawee County: www.lenawee.mi.us/
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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- Riga) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Riga. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8093, Longitude: -83.8251 |
| <2> | 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 Riga, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Riga 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 311.946 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 308.488 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.731 degrees. |