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 that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as The Ledge to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<3> beginning in The Ledge and extending to:
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 412 miles [663 km]<3> to the west (W). If you could drive a straight line from The Ledge to Parliament Hill, with an average speed<4>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 24 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 16 days.
The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,237 miles [8,428.1 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 5,949 miles [9,574 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<7>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 3,824 miles [6,154.1 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<8>
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>
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.
<3>
Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- The Ledge) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in The Ledge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.1833, Longitude: -67.2000
<4>
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.
<5>
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 The Ledge to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 301.113 degrees.
<7>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 296.86 degrees.
<8>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 297.177 degrees.