I’m breaking my rule of “no computer before bed time”. I have this rule because in undergrad a sleep expert spoke to our physiology class for a few lectures. It’s funny I can’t remember a damn thing about that class besides a few token facts about Cardiac Physiology (a really cute grad student taught that part) and the facts and studies presented by The Sleep Expert. No bright lights two hours before bed time. No TV, no movies. No excess alcohol or caffeine. Essentially nothing that will get your brain spinning along as you are attempting to wind it down. So I guess I will take the blame if sleep cannot come, as I am willingly spinning the wheels pre- bedtime. Nearby Jon watches a movie about some long ago war with loud noises and people getting shot with spears, which I suspect is much more likely to give me nightmares than a little blog post before bed.

We ventured down to the nearby state of Washington for the weekend. Our departure was tentative with Jon nursing a less than healthy knee injury sustained a few weeks earlier in another race. Late Thursday he was given the green light, and that evening I was given the nod to get a little bit excited: we were going on a road trip.

I am familiar with these (properly nicknamed by a Triathlon Magazine contributor) "Race-cations" but was enthralled none the less. Although I've had a couple great, quick trips this year, most of them have been close to home and a few have had a work-related undertone.  Plus of course my spin to Calgary, but visiting Calgary has turned out to feel almost as haywire and hectic as anything work related I have ever done with travel. A weekend away! Just the two of us! A chance to see new things! I eagerly threw together a couple small bags. We tossed our bikes and Jon's gear in my jeep and off we went.

I am reminded in a just a tiny slice of time why I love travel so much. Using the word "travel" to describe the long weekend feels a little extreme, but the weekend elegantly displayed the beauty I have come to adore about being in a new place. I delighted in everything from pondering directions to the hotels to walking the race site while waiting for Jon. I enjoyed the tiny asian place we had rice and chicken and vegetables, the new coffee places I tried and seeing the downtown Seattle skyline appear out of nowhere as we drove in from Monroe on Saturday afternoon. I loved collapsing onto the heavenly bed, the downtown lights of Seattle visible from our little place. Each and every moment was a chance to be present, to enjoy and cheer on and support Jon in his incredible journey and soak up the enjoyment of flexible timeline, a different city heartbeat and pedalling my way around new roads in the Saturday morning drizzle.  We stumbled upon Seattle's Gay Pride Parade which was a huge and fantastic spectacle, the Bang Bang cafe with its funky mix of americanos and burritos, and a guy riding his pimped out triathlon bike on a trainer for 12 hours. If you ever want a hearty belly laugh, ask Jon about "The Queen". I know he will be tickled to retell the story.

A complete treat, this little weekend away, and I come home only craving another chance for a long weekend like this one.

Safe to say I will be smiling all through the week.