Curious and Interesting Names Near Newlands Station ...
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.
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 community such as Newlands Station to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Newlands Station and extending to:
Victoria, which is the Provincial Capital of British Columbia, lies 395 miles [635.7 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Newlands Station to Victoria, with an average speed<2>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 23 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 16 days.
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 2,116 miles [3,405.4 km] to the east (E). Driving would take 5 days, a buggy would take 83 days and walking would take 121 days.
The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,347 miles [10,214.5 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 7,104 miles [11,432.8 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<5>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,278 miles [8,494.1 km] and it lies to the north northeast (NNE).<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 from Point A (ie- Newlands Station) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Newlands Station to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Newlands Station. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 54.1167, Longitude: -122.2167
<4>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 340.964 degrees.
<5>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 342.877 degrees.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 327.011 degrees.