Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Groningen, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Groningen and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Groningen
- 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 Groningen:
- 46.150782, -92.924091
- 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 Groningen
- 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 Pine County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Pine County
- Since Groningen is near Kanabec County and also Aitkin County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Kanabec County
- eBird sighting report for Aitkin 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 Groningen ...
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.
- Cloverdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Cloverdale is located in Pine County
- Dads Corner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dads Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dads Corner
- Dads Corner is located in Aitkin County
- Evergreen Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Park
- Evergreen Park is located in Pine County
- Friesland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Mission Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Creek
- Mission Creek is located in Pine County
- Ronald
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north) - Sandstone
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandstone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandstone
- Sandstone is located in Pine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,554 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sandstone <2>
- Sturgeon Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgeon Lake
- Sturgeon Lake is located in Pine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 431 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgeon Lake <2>
- Willow River
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow River
- Willow River is located in Pine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 397 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow River <2>
How Far From Groningen 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 Groningen to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Groningen and extending to:
- Pine City, which is the Seat of Pine County, lies 22 miles [35.4 km]<3> to the south. If you could walk a straight line from Groningen to Pine City, with an average speed<4> 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.
- Saint Paul, which is the State Capital of Minnesota, lies 83 miles [133.6 km] to the south (S). 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 948 miles [1,525.7 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take most of two days, a buggy would take 37 days and walking would take 54 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,151 miles [9,899.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,907 miles [11,115.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,821 miles [7,758.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Groningen. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Pine County: www.pinecounty.org/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.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 '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- Groningen) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Groningen. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.1508, Longitude: -92.9241 In this case, the coordinates for Groningen 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 Groningen 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 318.048 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 316.035 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.133 degrees. |