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 Murray Bay to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Murray Bay and extending to:
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 304 miles [489.2 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could drive a straight line from Murray Bay 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 5,267 miles [8,476.4 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 3,872 miles [6,231.4 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' (or 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- Murray Bay) 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 Murray Bay 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 Murray Bay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.6333, Longitude: -70.1500
<4>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 302.468 degrees.
<5>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 298.806 degrees.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 297.196 degrees.