1. Mountain Biking: If you are an avid mountain biker, as we are, Colorado offers breath taking trails. We were in Colorado in December but the weather was still good enough for a couple of rides. We connected with old friends and went out exploring the outdoors. Best thing is that in Jefferson County, on the foothills of Denver, ebikes are actually the norm. Way to go Jeffco for being a leading county for ebike experiences.

2. Ski Biking: Well, we do love handlebars and when the snow came, we turned to the mountains for ski biking. You can rent ski bikes in Copper Mountain and Breckenridge and the experience is amazing. Instead of wheels you have skis on your bike and you'll get to the top of the mountain with your lift ticket to start the super fun run down the slopes. We highly suggest to try it. It is a blast!

3. Denver and Boulder: For this month, we were based between Denver and Boulder. Denver is a nice city. People are into outdoor activities and the food scene is very good. We got to experience Tokyo Premium bakery (amazing Japanese inspired pastries), Firenze a Tavola (nice real Italian restaurant - we got to have tagliatelle with rabbit and it was delicious), Central Market in the Rino district (one of the best pizzas you'll find outside of Italy) and Kobe An Lohi (where we had Shabu Shabu) among other restaurants. For great wine and tapas, one should try Barcelona in the Rino district. Boulder feels more like a mountain town with a strong presence from the university.

4. Pet/house sitting: Instead of staying in an Airbnb, we ended up doing a new experience. We connected with Brad and Bria on housesittersamerica.com and took care of their pup and kitties while they went on vacation. It was our first time doing something like this and we are really happy that we did. Brad and Bria became very good friends of ours and by the end of our stay we felt like aunties to Milo, Wilson and Béla. We love animals and don't have any at the moment, so this experience was a win-win adventure. We spent the holidays with our adopted pet family and it was just perfect.

5. Manitou Springs: About 1 and half hours south of Denver, just past Colorado Springs, you'll find the town of Manitou Springs. This town has 9 natural springs and you can grab water to drink for free. Some of the springs seem to have some healing powers, so we took advantage and had a sip at the Soda Spring. Just like the name indicates, it feels like drinking soda water with the carbonation. We also felt like superheroes after drinking the water, and we are still running on that feeling! Just outside of the town there is the Manitou Cliff Dwelling (our first first time seeing one). It is definitely more of a tourist attraction since the rocks from the dwelling were transported there from the their original location in the Mesa Verde, but nevertheless a great experience because you get to go inside of the rooms and get a feeling of how people used to live in those houses. On our way back to Denver we stopped by the Garden of the Gods, a nature center with very characteristic red rocks.

6. Snowshoeing: This was a first for us. Brad and Bria had snowshoes and invited us to try them during our stay. We did not miss the chance. We ended up doing the Lost Lake trail near Nederland with Milo and the Dream Lake trail in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We did both trails with snowy conditions. It was very cold, but we loved the adventure. We can definitely say that snowshoeing is fairly demanding and not as easy as it seems. Great sport to try! On a side note, in Nederland every year, they host the Frozen Dead Guy festival. It is a very peculiar event and you should read about it here.

7. Strawberry Hot Springs: We love hots springs and in Steamboat, CO, you can find the Strawberry Hot Springs. This is a commercial but natural hot spring. The road to reach the springs can be very icy in the winter so you can opt to grab a 4x4 bus (a bit pricey) to get there. We were able to get to them first thing in the morning with very few people around and we really enjoyed the tranquil experience. We can see that they can get crowded very fast so if you prefer privacy choose your time to visit carefully.

8. Coors Factory Tour: Near the Denver foothills you'll find the town of Golden. It is a nice little mountain town and the home of Coors Beer. We decided to do the tour of the factory (usually we prefer small local breweries) and we were pleasantly surprised. We learned the story of Adolph Coors, a true entrepreneur and visionary. The cost of the tour is $10 and with that you get to try 3 pints and keep the souvenir glass. We suggest to take the time and go learn the history of this company.

9. Ice car racing: Driving on I-70 from Denver into the mountains, before reaching Idaho Springs, you come across a town called Georgetown. There is a big lake visible from the freeway and there, in the winter, people can go ice racing on the frozen surface of the lake for a small fee. You can get there with your car, pay the fee, and start sliding around on the ice (they even have a course set up). We did not get the chance to do this with our van but it is definitely something that we would like to try with a car.

10. Loveland Pass: This place is very significant in our relationship and every time we get to this part of the world we go visit it. Loveland Pass is situated on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. This time we got to see intrepid snowboarders and backcountry skiers hiking up the ridge and then free surfing down the side of the mountain. No matter what time of the year, this place, at almost 12,000 feet, leaves you breathless.