Curious and Interesting Names Near Greenhurst - Thurstonia ...
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 Greenhurst - Thurstonia to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Greenhurst - Thurstonia and extending to:
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 158 miles [254.3 km]<1> to the east northeast (ENE). If you could drive a straight line from Greenhurst - Thurstonia to Parliament Hill, with an average speed<2>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take less than three hours to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 9 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 7 days.
The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,725 miles [9,213.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<4>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,455 miles [10,388.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,334 miles [6,974.9 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<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- Greenhurst - Thurstonia) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Greenhurst - Thurstonia. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.4788, Longitude: -78.6602
<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 Greenhurst - Thurstonia 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 308.445 degrees.
<5>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.942 degrees.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 303.184 degrees.