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.
In the vicinity of Rocky Lane, Buffalo Head Prairie is located 20 miles [32.2 km]<1> to the South
How Far From Rocky Lane 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 Rocky Lane to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Rocky Lane and extending to:
Edmonton, which is the Provincial Capital of Alberta, lies 355 miles [571.3 km]<1> to the south southeast (SSE). If you could drive a straight line from Rocky Lane to Edmonton, with an average speed<2>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 21 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 14 days.
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 1,907 miles [3,069 km] to the east (E). Driving would take three full days, a buggy would take 75 days and walking would take 109 days.
The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,985 miles [9,631.9 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<4>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,746 miles [10,856.6 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<5>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,902 miles [7,889 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
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- Rocky Lane) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rocky Lane. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 58.4567, Longitude: -116.2733
<2>
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.
<3>
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 Rocky Lane to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<4>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 336.034 degrees.
<5>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 337.63 degrees.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 322.113 degrees.