More excitement commuting!

OK, I have a confession to make: I really like commuting on my bike because it's easy. Yeah, it really is. The first mile of my ride into work involves a little bit of righteous traffic dodging, but it's all downhill, so I actually spin it up until I'm passing cars. Then I hop on some back streets for a little while until I hit the bike path. This is where it gets cool: The bike path parallels Monument Creek, cruising through Monument Park in the center of Colorado Springs, hauling underneath all the cross-roads, and blowing by the dirt jump park (can't wait to hit that up on my way back from work....once there's a little light) before depositing me directly at work. The ride back is even more fun, because I do it all in the dark. And since I got a much better headlamp for Christmas (thanks Mom!), I can actually see where I'm going.
Mostly.
The other major change I made for winter commuting? I put my cyclorcross wheels on my ride. The big, knobby tires and forgiving geometry of my 'cross bike means that a few inches of snow and ice on the path aren't going to stop me one bit. Ha!
Oh yeah, I forgot about the one caveat: That big hill I ride down first thing in the morning is a little rough on the way home. With the road under construction, the cars can be a little dicey, so I try and hop up the hill as fast as I can. Yeah, I keep contemplating ralphing at the top. I have to do cool-down laps in the parking lot of my apartment until it doesn't hurt to get off the bike. Yuck.
In the morning I do my best to forget about the hill, since I doubt that I would ride if I remembered how sucky the end of the ride is. Well, I hear it builds character.