Athabasca (Alberta) - Tidbits, Odds-and-Ends

Curious and Interesting Names Near Athabasca ...

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.

Amber Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amber Valley came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amber Valley
Deep Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep Creek came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Creek
Island Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Island Lake came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Lake
Properity
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Properity came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Properity
Spruce Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spruce Valley came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spruce Valley
Sunset Beach
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset Beach came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Beach
Whispering Hills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whispering Hills came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Hills
White Gull
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Gull came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Gull

How Far From Athabasca 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 Athabasca to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<2> beginning in Athabasca and extending to:

Edmonton, which is the Provincial Capital of Alberta, lies 81 miles [130.4 km]<2> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Athabasca to Edmonton, with an average speed<3>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than two hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 5 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of three days.
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 1,759 miles [2,830.8 km] to the east (E). Driving would take most of three days, a buggy would take 69 days and walking would take 100 days.
The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,170 miles [9,929.7 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 6,936 miles [11,162.4 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<6>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,033 miles [8,099.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Athabasca: www.town.athabasca.ab.ca/

The official website for Province of Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/

Footnotes ...

<1>	If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<2>	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 from Point A (ie- Athabasca) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Athabasca. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 54.7194, Longitude: -113.2858
<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 Athabasca 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 333.645 degrees.
<6>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 334.653 degrees.
<7>	The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 320.796 degrees.