September 24 - Day 134 (133.5) - 'The centre of the Earth is only 4,000 miles away. You could drive that in a week but for some reason nobody’s ever done it.' Andy Rooney

4005 miles completed! It feels like a real milestone passing the 4000 mark and certainly helps me to understand how the word ‘milestone’ has developed its meaning over time. More of that, however, in a future blog, as the quotation in the title today really made me think while cycling in and as usual - you have to put up with me sharing all these unconnected thoughts.

I have to say, I didn’t know that the average distance to the centre of the Earth is 4000 miles (or 3959 miles to be precise). I also find it fascinating that it has to be an average because the Earth isn’t a perfect sphere but a sort of squashed ball shape. Apparently, if you are standing on the Equator, you would be 14 miles further away from the Centre of the earth than someone at the North Pole.

The deepest that anyone has been able to drill is I believe the Kola Superdeep borehole in Russia, found in the arctic circle . This is 7.5 miles deep and took 20 years to drill. I find it vaguely reassuring that with all the advances in Science, engineering and technology, there remain things we do not know about the world. I also find it an encouraging sign for humanity that there is currently no sense that getting to the core will be possible.

Unexplained mysteries are good for us, they allow for a sense of awe and wonder and help us to understand that not everything in life is rationale and scientifically explained. For example, where do all the lost teaspoons or socks go, why does changing the duvet cover always seem a difficult task and the greatest mystery - how on earth have I managed to cycle 4000 miles!?!