Touch-a-Truck

Last weekend we went with our kids and their Grandma and Grandpa Two-Garage-Doors (yes, there's a story behind that name) to Touch-a-Truck.

Now, you might have noticed: trucks is our family's thing.  When you meet Teo, one of the first things he asks you might be, "Have you seen any F450's?"  If you don't understand that question, I recommend that you study up on the Ford website before you come over.

But it's not just Teo.  It turns out that it's really fun to look for big trucks and try to guess what kinds they are as we're out and about in Colorado Springs.  (By the way, thank you, Colorado Springs, for your large truck obsession!)  And it's really fun to watch Monster Jam together (on the Speed channel), to root for Grave Digger, to watch Maximum Destruction crash, to watch Nitro Circus do a back flip (!) in competition, Monster Mutt...El Toro Loco...Blue Thunder...

Trucks are cool.

Touch-a-Truck was the perfect way for our family to spend the weekend. In Colorado Springs, Touch-a-Truck was at the Norris Penrose Event Center, and cost $20 for a family of 6 ($10 if you got the Groupon).  If you missed it, you can catch a free, and only slightly smaller Touch-a-Truck in Woodland Park in August.

The kids get to climb in the trucks, honk horns, wear helmets, and basically get up-close and personal.

Owen really liked this UPS truck:

Teo and I really liked the SWAT truck.  The SWAT guys were there to tell us about their job. 

We got to mess around with a bullet-proof vest.  And the SWAT guys explained about the portholes they can open in case they drive up on an active shooter.  They showed us the hatch in the top of the truck for one of the guys to climb out, use the hatch cover as a moveable shield, and be protected in a hostile situation.  In the picture above, Teo is talking to the SWAT guy, saying something along the lines of, "You're never gonna get dead!"  He was very impressed and said that they have the coolest job in the world.  (And it helps that they wear black uniforms, Teo's favorite color because it's the definition of cool.)

The closest we came to a monster truck was this little guy:

There was also a very cool bus that we walked through that had a movie theater in the back, with couches and a large flatscreen.  What an awesome way to travel!  In-N-Out roadtrip, anyone?

And, to Teo's great delight, sharing the event center with Touch-a-Truck was a horse competition, which meant the parking lot was filled with F350's. F450's, Dodge Ram 3500's, and the like.  Teo spent an additional 30 minutes looking at those trucks.  (And ignoring the horses entirely.  He has his priorities.)

Here's one the boys loved because of its massiveness:

Maybe next year we can save our $10, go where all the cowboys are and just walk around the parking lot.