Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Rainier, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Rainier and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Rainier
- 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 Rainier:
- 46.888389, -122.688826
- 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 Rainier
- 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 Thurston County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Thurston County
- Since Rainier is near Pierce County and also Lewis County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Pierce County
- eBird sighting report for Lewis 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 Rainier ...
We found two communities that share the name Rainier.
Within Washington, the name Rainier is unique.
Beyond Washington, we know of another two communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these two communities, one is located in the United States and the other in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alberta
- This Rainier lies 539 miles [867.4 km]<1> to the east northeast of the Rainier that is located in Thurston County.
- Oregon
- Alberta
Curious and Interesting Names Near Rainier ...
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.
- Chain Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chain Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chain Hill
- Chain Hill is located in Thurston County
- Fir Tree
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest) - Five Corners
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Corners
- Five Corners is located in Thurston County
- Four Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
- Four Corners is located in Thurston County
- Kellys Korner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Korner
- Kellys Korner is located in Thurston County
- Mock City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Plumb
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west) - Vail
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
How Far From Rainier to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a town such as Rainier to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rainier and extending to:
- Olympia, which is the Seat of Thurston County, lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the northwest. If you could walk a straight line from Rainier to Olympia, 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.
- Olympia, which is the State Capital of Washington, lies 14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest (NW). The buggy would take four to five hours and walking would take most of a day.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,339 miles [3,764.3 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take 5 days, a buggy would take 92 days and walking would take 133 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,825 miles [10,983.8 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,587 miles [12,210.1 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,710 miles [9,189.4 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rainier. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Thurston County: www.co.thurston.wa.us/
The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rainier) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rainier. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.8884, Longitude: -122.6888 |
| <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 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 Rainier 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 341.135 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 342.696 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 328.044 degrees. |