Curious and Interesting Names Near Tete a la Baleine ...
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.
Half Way Cabin (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
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 Tete a la Baleine to various places of note, such as Parliament Hill.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance<1> beginning in Tete a la Baleine and extending to:
The National Capital at Parliament Hill (Ottawa, ON) is 836 miles [1,345.4 km]<1> to the west southwest (WSW). If you could drive a straight line from Tete a la Baleine to Parliament Hill, with an average speed<2>of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A comfortable walk of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour would take 48 days. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 33 days.
The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 4,737 miles [7,623.5 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 5,463 miles [8,791.8 km] and it lies to the east northeast (ENE).<5>
The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 3,340 miles [5,375.2 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Tete a la Baleine) 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 Tete a la Baleine 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 Tete a la Baleine. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 50.7000, Longitude: -59.3333
<4>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 294.488 degrees.
<5>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 290.631 degrees.
<6>
The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 288.968 degrees.