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Curious and Interesting Names Near Lac a la Balle ...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 Lac a la Balle, Hebert is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<1> to the East How Far From Lac a la Balle 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 Lac a la Balle to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill. With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Lac a la Balle and extending to: 
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 307 miles [494.1 km]<1> to the southwest (SW).  If you could drive a straight line from Lac a la Balle to Parliament Hill, with an average speed<2>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take five to six hours to make the trip.  A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 18 days.  A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 12 days.The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 5,264 miles [8,471.6 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 5,994 miles [9,646.4 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<5>The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 3,874 miles [6,234.6 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<6> 
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance.  A straight line distance ignores  obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line  drawn from Point A (ie- Lac a la Balle) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Lac a la Balle.  The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.2333, Longitude: -70.6500 |  | <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 Lac a la Balle 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 302.672 degrees. |  | <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 299.139 degrees. |  | <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 297.105 degrees. |  |  |