Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ranshaw, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ranshaw and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ranshaw
- 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 Ranshaw:
- 40.785919, -76.518012
- 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 Ranshaw
- 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 Northumberland County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Northumberland County
- Since Ranshaw is near Schuylkill County and also Columbia County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Schuylkill County
- eBird sighting report for Columbia 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 Ranshaw ...
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.
- Alaska
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Atlas
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Bear Gap
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Gap
- Bear Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Bear Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
- Bear Valley is located in Northumberland County
- Beaverdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdale
- Beaverdale is located in Northumberland County
- Big Mountain
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Mountain
- Big Mountain is located in Northumberland County
- Coal Run
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest) - Ferndale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west) - Greenback
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Locust Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Gap
- Locust Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Natalie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natalie
- Natalie is located in Northumberland County
- Overlook
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Continue List (4 more) ...
- Point Breeze
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point Breeze have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Breeze
- Point Breeze is located in Northumberland County
- Strong
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Sunnyside
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Uniontown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Point Breeze
How Far From Ranshaw 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 Ranshaw to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Ranshaw and extending to:
- Sunbury, which is the Seat of Northumberland County, lies 15 miles [24.1 km]<2> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Ranshaw to Sunbury, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Harrisburg, which is the State Capital of Pennsylvania, lies 39 miles [62.8 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take just about two full days and walking would take over two days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 133 miles [214 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving would take less than three hours, a buggy would take 6 days and walking would take 8 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,796 miles [9,327.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,508 miles [10,473.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,383 miles [7,053.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ranshaw. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Northumberland County: www.northumberlandco.org/
The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ranshaw) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ranshaw. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7859, Longitude: -76.5180 In this case, the coordinates for Ranshaw 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 Ranshaw 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 307.44 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 303.224 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.735 degrees. |