Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ruby, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ruby and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for 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 Ruby:
- 48.52278, -117.300416
- 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 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 Pend Oreille County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Pend Oreille County
- Since Ruby is near Stevens County and also Bonner County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Stevens County
- eBird sighting report for Bonner 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 Ruby ...
We found 32 communities that share the name Ruby.
There are three communities within Washington that are also named Ruby.
Beyond Washington, we know of another 29 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 29 communities, 31 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.
- Communities Located In Washington ...
- Benton County
- Okanogan County
- Whatcom County
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Cullman County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Ruby [Cullman County].
- Walker County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Ruby [Walker County].
- Alaska
- This Ruby lies 1,786 miles [2,874.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Ruby that is located in Pend Oreille County.
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Gunnison County
- This Ruby is located in Gunnison County and lies 837 miles [1,347 km]<1> to the southeast of the Ruby that is located in Pend Oreille County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gunnison County community of Ruby.
- Mesa County
- This Ruby is located in Mesa County and lies 765 miles [1,231.1 km] to the southeast of the Ruby that is located in Pend Oreille County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Mesa County community of Ruby.
- Pitkin County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Colorado community of Ruby [Pitkin County].
- Georgia
- Irwin County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Ruby [Irwin County].
- Jones County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of Ruby [Jones County].
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Harper County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Ruby [Harper County].
- Sedgwick County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Ruby [Sedgwick County].
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Copiah County
- This Ruby is located in Copiah County and lies 1,811 miles [2,914.5 km]<1> to the east southeast of the Ruby that is located in Pend Oreille County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Copiah County community of Ruby.
- Leflore County
- This Ruby is located in Leflore County and lies 1,726 miles [2,777.7 km] to the east southeast of the Ruby that is located in Pend Oreille County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Leflore County community of Ruby.
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Ruby lies 1,871 miles [3,011.1 km]<1> to the east of the Ruby that is located in Pend Oreille County.
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near 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.
- Diamond City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Diamond City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
- Diamond City is located in Pend Oreille County
- Dickensheet Junction
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dickensheet Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickensheet Junction
- Dickensheet Junction is located in Bonner County (ID)
- Lamb Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamb Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamb Creek
- Lamb Creek is located in Bonner County (ID)
- Locke
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south) - Lost Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lost Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Creek
- Lost Creek is located in Pend Oreille County
- Outlet Bay
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Outlet Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Outlet Bay
- Outlet Bay is located in Bonner County (ID)
- Park Rapids
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Rapids
- Park Rapids is located in Stevens County
- Tiger
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
How Far From 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 Ruby to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ruby and extending to:
- Newport, which is the Seat of Pend Oreille County, lies 26 miles [41.8 km]<1> to the south southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Ruby to Newport, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take just over a day.
- Olympia, which is the State Capital of Washington, lies 279 miles [449 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take four to five hours, a buggy would take 11 days and walking would take 16 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 2,089 miles [3,361.9 km] to the east (E). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 82 days and walking would take 119 days.
- The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,630 miles [10,670 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<7>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,396 miles [11,902.7 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<8>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,477 miles [8,814.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ruby. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Pend Oreille County: www.co.pend-oreille.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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ruby) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ruby. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.5228, Longitude: -117.3004 |
| <2> | 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 Ruby, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Ruby could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <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 Ruby 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 336.781 degrees. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 337.751 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 324.39 degrees. |