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.
Halfway Depot (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
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 village such as Biencourt to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Biencourt and extending to:
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 380 miles [611.6 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could drive a straight line from Biencourt to Parliament Hill, 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 15 days.
The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,193 miles [8,357.3 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<4>
The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 5,919 miles [9,525.7 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<5>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 3,796 miles [6,109.1 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Biencourt) 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 Biencourt 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 Biencourt. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.9302, Longitude: -68.5449
<4>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 301.36 degrees.
<5>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 297.633 degrees.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 296.157 degrees.