Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Camp Ruby, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Camp Ruby and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Camp Ruby
- 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 Camp Ruby:
- 30.696867, -94.729374
- 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 Camp Ruby
- 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 Polk County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Polk County
- Since Camp Ruby is near San Jacinto County and also Liberty County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for San Jacinto County
- eBird sighting report for Liberty 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 Camp Ruby ...
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.
- Drews Landing
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drews Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drews Landing
- Drews Landing is located in San Jacinto County
- Holly Grove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holly Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Grove
- Holly Grove is located in Polk County
- Hoop and Holler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoop and Holler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoop and Holler
- Hoop and Holler is located in Liberty County
- Hortense
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north) - Israel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west) - Moscow
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moscow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Moscow is located in Polk County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <2>
- Oak Shade
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast) - Providence
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Providence is located in Polk County
- Seven Oaks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Oaks
- Seven Oaks is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
How Far From Camp Ruby 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 Camp Ruby to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Camp Ruby and extending to:
- Livingston, which is the Seat of Polk County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> to the west. If you could walk a straight line from Camp Ruby to Livingston, 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.
- Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 181 miles [291.3 km] to the west (W). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,149 miles [1,849.1 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 45 days and walking would take 66 days.
- The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,013 miles [11,286.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,735 miles [12,448.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,611 miles [9,030 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Camp Ruby. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Camp Ruby) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Camp Ruby. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.6969, Longitude: -94.7294 In this case, the coordinates for Camp Ruby 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 Camp Ruby 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 318.312 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 314.307 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 313.994 degrees. |