Tidbits & Trivia

Introduction ...

Below is our collection of tidbits and odds 'n ends for Hatchel.

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Hatchel, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Hatchel and the surrounding area.

• Weather ...
  • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
  • The National Weather Service forecast for Hatchel

• 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 Hatchel:
  • 31.850148, -99.949255<1>
  • 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.
  • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Hatchel

• 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 Runnels County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Runnels County
  • Since Hatchel is near Coleman County and also Taylor County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Coleman County
  • Open the eBird sighting report for Taylor 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:
  • Open the Waymark.com report for Hatchel

Curious and Interesting Names Near Hatchel ...

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.

• Crews
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Crews is also located in Runnels County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crews
• Glen Cove
  (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Glen Cove is located in Coleman County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Cove
• Happy Valley
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Happy Valley is located in Taylor County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy Valley
• Lawn
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Lawn is located in Taylor County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawn
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawn <2>
• Marie
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Marie is also located in Runnels County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marie
• Miles
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Miles is also located in Runnels County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miles
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 894 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Miles <2>
• Novice
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Novice is located in Coleman County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novice
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Novice <2>
• Paint Rock
  (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Paint Rock is located in Concho County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint Rock
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paint Rock <2>
• Seventeen Mile Crossing
  (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Seventeen Mile Crossing is located in Tom Green County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seventeen Mile Crossing
• Silver Valley
  (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Silver Valley is located in Coleman County
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Valley

How Far From Hatchel 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 included the distance from a community such as Hatchel to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in Hatchel and extending to:

• Ballinger, which is the Seat of Runnels County, lies just to the South.
• Austin, which is the State Capital of Texas, lies 170 miles [273.6 km]<3> to the southeast (SE). If you could drive a straight line from Hatchel to Austin, with an average speed<4>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take about three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 10 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
• The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,374 miles [2,211.2 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take about three full days, a buggy would take 54 days and walking would take 78 days.
• The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 7,150 miles [11,506.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
• The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,890 miles [12,697.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
• The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,772 miles [9,289.1 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>