Oh,give me a home where the buffalo roam,Where the deer and the antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, And the skies are not cloudy all day.

-Unknown Cowboy

As I prepare for my big race in Philly this weekend, I think back to my visit back home. It had been much too long (1 1/2 yrs) since I'd been home to see my family. And for a cowgirl cyclist, it can make for a weary heart.

My younger brother was graduating (valedictorian, full ride scholarship...talented...you get the picture!), so I few back to good 'ol Gillette, WY to celebrate with my bike in hand. Aaron was unable to take time off, so I was traveling solo. As Wyoming tends to be extremely dry (we're on a high altitude desert) and windy, I did not pack any rain gear. It was raining all week in New England and I was looking forward to reuniting with the dry air and pushing my way through the wind. However, as I flew back home, the rain of New England just decided that it couldn't leave my side and I found a new adventure of riding through 35-40 degree rain showers!! I conned my brothers Mark and Matt into battling the cold wet pavement. Such is Wyoming.

My adventure included waking up at the crack of dawn and many hours of playing with my little siblings and nieces. If you have kids, you know how much energy they have! Every afternoon I was exhausted!! And to top it off, my brother's (both with newborn baby girls) would let me hold their daughters and my parents would comment, "Oh, Melissa, since you are getting to hold a baby, don't you just want one of your own right now?!!" Don't get me wrong, I love kids, but I was pretty exhausted and I'd look over at my brother's wife (who had been up all night) and said, "You know, I really like just being an aunt right now! I think I'll wait!!" I laugh every time I get asked, "How can you juggle working full-time (I work 40-50 hrs a week), and train/race so much?" I think of how much juggling parents have to do...well, I'm not a parent! I have quite a bit of free time, you know!

Doherty kids

Getting out for a ride was like reuniting with Mother Earth. I forgot the powerful feeling of riding into the forceful wind. I've read stories from the desert in the Middle East referring to "the soul of the earth" and the power of the wind. It's a constant force that just reminds you that you're this little human in a big world. That you're not invincible but yet you have so much power. That you're connected to people from across the planet as it kisses our faces and nudges us along. Some people are afraid of the wind. I embrace it.

Now I'm back in New England. The rush of traffic rolls by my window. I hear sirens. Yet I feel more at ease as I got my needed dose of 'home'.