RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Ohio >> Lorain County >> Vermilion-on-the-Lake >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Vermilion-on-the-Lake, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Vermilion-on-the-Lake and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
    • Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
    • The National Weather Service forecast for Vermilion-on-the-Lake
  • Astronomy & Satellites ...
    • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
    • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Vermilion-on-the-Lake:
    • 41.429567, -82.323264
    • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
    • The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Vermilion-on-the-Lake
  • Waymarking ...
    • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
    • Waymark.com

Curious and Interesting Names Near Vermilion-on-the-Lake ...

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.

  • Beaver Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Park
    • Beaver Park is located in Lorain County
  • Bluebird Beach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluebird Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluebird Beach
    • Bluebird Beach is located in Erie County
  • Florence
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Henrietta
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Joppa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joppa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa
    • Joppa is located in Erie County
  • Orchard Beach
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Beach
    • Orchard Beach is located in Erie County
  • Rugby ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rugby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
    • Rugby is located in Lorain County
  • Ruggles Beach
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruggles Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruggles Beach
    • Ruggles Beach is located in Erie County
  • Sunnyside
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnyside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
    • Sunnyside is located in Lorain County
  • Volunteer Bay
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Volunteer Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volunteer Bay
    • Volunteer Bay is located in Erie County
  • Whiskyville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiskyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiskyville
    • Whiskyville is located in Lorain County

How Far From Vermilion-on-the-Lake 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 Vermilion-on-the-Lake to various places of note, such as the White House.

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

  • Elyria, which is the Seat of Lorain County, lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<2> to the east southeast. If you could walk a straight line from Vermilion-on-the-Lake to Elyria, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take nearly four hours.
  • Columbus, which is the State Capital of Ohio, lies 106 miles [170.6 km] to the south southwest (SSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 6 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 329 miles [529.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 13 days and walking would take 19 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,002 miles [9,659.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,729 miles [10,829.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,606 miles [7,412.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Vermilion-on-the-Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vermilion-on-the-Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.4296, Longitude: -82.3233    
<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 Vermilion-on-the-Lake 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 310.999 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 307.355 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.145 degrees.