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 Paint Lake, Thicket Portage is located 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the Southeast
How Far From Paint Lake 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 community such as Paint Lake to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Paint Lake and extending to:
Winnipeg, which is the Provincial Capital of Manitoba, lies 388 miles [624.4 km]<1> to the south (S). If you could drive a straight line from Paint Lake to Winnipeg, 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 22 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 1,193 miles [1,919.9 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take about three full days, a buggy would take 47 days and walking would take 68 days.
The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,801 miles [9,335.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<4>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,569 miles [10,571.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,572 miles [7,357.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
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 drawn from Point A (ie- Paint Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Paint Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 55.5067, Longitude: -98.0032
<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 Paint Lake 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 321.487 degrees.
<5>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 321.135 degrees.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.358 degrees.