Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ruark, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ruark and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ruark
- 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 Ruark:
- 37.544301, -76.341888
- 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 Ruark
- 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 Middlesex County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Middlesex County
- Since Ruark is near Mathews County and also Lancaster County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Mathews County
- eBird sighting report for Lancaster 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 Ruark ...
We found one communities that share the name Ruark.
Within Virginia, the name Ruark is unique.
Beyond Virginia, there is another community also named Ruark in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ruark ...
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.
- Bushy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest) - Cricket Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cricket Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket Hill
- Cricket Hill is located in Mathews County
- Deltaville
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deltaville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deltaville
- Deltaville is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deltaville <3>
- Dixie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest) - Hardyville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hardyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardyville
- Hardyville is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hardyville <3>
- Hartfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartfield
- Hartfield is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartfield <3>
- Redart
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast) - Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Bottom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Stampers
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west) - Stingray Point
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
- Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
- Wake
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
How Far From Ruark 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 Ruark to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<4> beginning in Ruark and extending to:
- Saluda, which is the Seat of Middlesex County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<4> to the west northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Ruark to Saluda, with an average speed<5> 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.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 59 miles [95 km] to the west (W). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take about three full days and walking would take most of three days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 100 miles [160.9 km] to the north northwest (NNW). Driving would take less than two hours, a buggy would take three full days and walking would take 6 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,925 miles [9,535.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,622 miles [10,657.1 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,502 miles [7,245.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ruark. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Middlesex County: www.co.middlesex.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Ruark, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | 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- Ruark) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ruark. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.5443, Longitude: -76.3419 In this case, the coordinates for Ruark have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | 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 Ruark to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 307.567 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 302.864 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 304.946 degrees. |