Summer has officially begun (June 21st was the summer solstice) and it’s already been an amazing start to the glorious season.

Early May, we headed to Buff Pass for some grueling uphill & fast, flowy downhill mountain biking. The loop I did was 15 miles, 1,369ft of vert – not a bad way to open up the season!

May 20th Mike and I headed to Loveland ski resort to get some off season skinning in. Anyone is able to head out on the mountain for uphill access & it was pretty fun to be at the resort post ski season, when no one else was on the mountain. The skin was a little over 1 1/2 miles, with almost 1,000 ft of vert gained, so not too strenuous, but my first time skinning a resort. Definitely going to be back at it next season!

Hike club has been in full affect since March, and I try to get out once a week, at least! We live in such a spectacular place, with glorious trails only 20-30 minutes from my house, so there’s no excuse not get out on them as much as possible.

I also joined a 100 hrs outside challenge this May, so have been extra motivated to prioritize my outside time. In May & June I’ve hiked the following:

• North Table Mountain (did this multiple times cause its close, a beautiful loop & has New Terrain Brewing at the bottom!)
• Berkley Park (not technically hiking, but counting it!)
• Mt. Galbraith (In Golden)
• Sloans Lake (more of a walk, but did 5 1/2 miles!)
• Mt. Falcon (did the shorter loop once, and added the castle ruins on for another hike)
• Apex (Enchanted forest trail with Winnie)
• Chimney Gulch (in Golden)

Have also been on my bike more than ever before, which I’m really stoked about. We have even started an early morning bike club on Tuesday’s. Getting up at 5 AM to be pedaling by 6 is one of the best ways to start the day.

In the past two months, I’ve biked to Joyride Brewing & home for happy hour, biked to Berkeley Lake, biked to old town Arvada to hop on the G line then did a tour around the city to celebrate buddies who had run Colfax. On that jaunt, we biked to Briar commons brewery, then to Scratch burrito, then to Zuni Brewery. Over 8 miles, great beer and tons of fun!

And what better way to start or end your day than our in nature, out in the beautiful Colorado sunshine. Our crew headed to Waterton Canyon Trailhead for a Wednesday happy hour spin.

June came and up Mt. Bierstadt we went! It’s the latest I’ve ever skied (June 2nd) and the earliest I’ve ever climbed a 14’er. We slapped our skins on our skies and zipped up the mountain. Over 7 miles and 2,850 vertical feet. It was exhilarating, gorgeous an absolute breathtaking day, one I was extremely proud of myself for accomplishing.

After the 14’er we spent the afternoon meeting a new member of our family, baby girl Harper Weston. A gorgeous little peach!

Another big summer milestone has been the purchase of Happy Homes’ 6th investment property. The property is a mile from our home, so I’ve been able to bike or drive over after work many nights to help Mike. The project will provide countless summer memories.

Mike had a Colorado bachelor party the second weekend in June, so I had a glorious Denver Summer weekend, with brunch on a girlfriend’s rooftop followed by Brewfest, a festival down on Pearl Street with Bluegrass & good beers. Our gang showed up in full force!

Our first camping trip finally arrived, last weekend (June 14), and to Fruita we went, mountain bikes strapped to the back of our car. Three years ago, Mike and I headed to Glenwood Springs, but I had never been to Fruita. First stop: Outer Range (one of the best breweries ever!).

Our campground, NorthFruita Dessert, was off Road 18, with rolling trails right outside our tent. Friday night, we rolled into town pretty late & headed right for Hot Tomato, an amazing pizza joint right in town.

Full moons & fires that evening, followed by a morning of flowy single track on Joes’ run, followed by steep downs and some crazy hike a bike sections. All in all a great morning, although the heat had cranked up by the time we got back to our camp site.

What to do in a blazing hot dessert of a town after a big ride? Head to breweries! A few tasty brews (Suds Brothers Brewery & Copper Club Brewing) then back to camp (with another Hot Tomato pie in tow) for a happy hour ride on Joe’s run. Fruita, you are glorious!

If you’ve never experienced Colorado in the summer, I’d recommend you adding that to your bucket list. The sheer beauty of the trails, mountains, landscape will not disappoint.

Cheers to Colorado adventures! Where are you heading this summer?