This summer I have been spending quite a bit of time in Aspen, CO with a client. Considering Texas is my home-base, spending the summer in Colorado is a definite upgrade - I’ll take 85 degrees over 105 any day.

Needless to say, it has been beautiful here and has allowed me to explore the hiking and biking trails, partake in some adventurous outings, and eat some great food. Here is a quick list of what I would recommend getting into if you find yourself here!

1. Rent an e-bike: The family I am working with have been kind enough to let me use their e-bikes and it has been a game-changer. I am used to riding Bianchi road bikes but here in Aspen there are many steep hills that seem near impossible to bike up without the life-changing “boost” mode on these e-bikes. While you do have to peddle, the bikes “boost” your efforts 1,2, or 3x making it easy to control how much effort you need to put out to get to your destination. There are a number of bike shops here in Aspen, but I had a great experience with Ute City Cycles - very friendly, reasonably priced (considering where we are), and extremely knowledgeable.

2. Ride a trail: Once you have your e-bike, I recommend taking the Rio Grande biking/walking path to Woody Creek Tavern to have a bite and a drink. This has been of my favorite weekend activities this summer. It takes about 40 minutes from Red Mountain to Woody Creek Tavern and is overall a flat trail, making it a great option for most experience levels.

3. Go to Woody Creek Tavern: Famous photographer David Yarrow happened to be shooting at Woody Creek the first time I went which only makes it more fun for me - but even without the famous models in apres-ski apparel, this place is great and is my favorite watering hold in town. The drinks are not priced sky-high like other bars in the area, but this could be because Woody Creek Tavern is about 20 minutes out of Aspen-proper.

The burger is great, the Ranch Waters are refreshing (I get Herradura Silver or Lalo), and the french fries always hit the spot. Pop next door to book a fly fishing trip with Aspen Outfitters if you’re interested in a full Colorado experience.

4. Go whitewater rafting with Elk Mtn Expeditions: Was I scared, yes! I hadn’t been rafting since I was about 12 years old and that was a tame river in Maine. This was a roaring river - and the stretch was named Slaughter House…Elk Mtn instructors walked us through all the ins and outs, dos and don’ts which made me more comfortable, but it wasn’t until I was in the raft that I finally felt at ease. I would highly recommend this course if you are a little bit of a thrill seeker, but not looking to go down epic falls. We did go down three falls, but they were small and manageable for all rafts that went over. They provided us with wetsuits, booties, helmets, lifejackets and beer and snacks post trip. I 100% will be going again before summers end (if water levels allow)

5. Take a high-intensity Pilates class at Tonic: I had never done pilates prior to going to Tonic. In Austin I go to Orange Theory which essentially is a full-body workout that keeps your heart rate up in the most opportune range for calorie burning. I was nervous that pilates would not do it for me because I was used to HIIT with Orange. Tonic was perfect for me - I took advantage of their $15 first class promotion and after my first class quickly got online and bought a 5 class pack. I try to get there at least twice a week - all three trainers I have taken classes with have been wonderful and all have their own way of teaching their classes which makes it fun and ensures you workout different parts of your body with each session.