Pike's Peak is waiting

We're heading out tomorrow to Colorado Springs, CO. The kids are psyched, and so am I. I don't think I've been this excited about driving 11-12 hours in a long time. I think it's going to be fun.

I've been debating on whether to drive up the mountain or just take the cog train. I have a vehicle that's capable of making the trek, but I've noticed my love of heights has diminished a LOT since I was a kid. When I was 8 years old, my dad would pay me $5 to climb to the top of a 100' elevator leg and tighten bolts or whatever. I had no problem whatsoever with it. Now, though, I don't know. I probably wouldn't do it. I don't know if sitting behind the wheel of a car would make a difference. The last time I went there, I was about 10 years old and my dad drove us up. In front of us, a VW bus had to turn around because its engine didn't have enough power at that altitude to climb to the peak. The guy turned it around in the middle of the road, and my mom almost had a heart attack when his front end was hanging over the cliff. I think I'll probably do it. It's just a mountain. Not like it's going to reach out and slap me.

In other news: I have seen the Shamwow commercials. I made a mental note to buy one if presented with a convenient opportunity, as I am the kind of guy who can't live without towels that can soak up 100x their own weight in liquids. Today I saw a 2-back of mini Shamwows and bought them. My take: Save your $6. They're about like paper towels, honestly. I don't know if the "Sham" in the name is supposed to evoke "Chamois" or "Sham", but I'm betting it's the latter. As for the "wow" part, not so much. Maybe they should have called it "Sham... Meh."