The ninth annual Blues from the Top Music Fest inm Winter Park, CO is coming Friday, June 24th through Sunday, June 26th.  The artist lineups look amazing if the show is anything like last year it will be a screaming good time.

Bernie's Backside

My brother and his family plus my 77 year old dad were in town last week, so we decided to be tourists and headed to Sombrero Stables in Snow Mountain Ranch (a YMCA camp) for a steak dinner horseback ride. 

We had to arrive by 3:30 to be matched with our horses (I got “Hitch” who liked to eat grass). We were riding by 4:15 in a straight line with our nice guide who rode looking back at us to be sure we were ok. 

We rode the horses into a nice trail, thru some beautiful big aspens and by a meadow where our guide said she saw a moose just a few days before. We squinted and hoped, but no moose appeared.  It was very peaceful and not scary in the least, since they don’t let you go any faster than a walk, although we learned the trick of holding the horse back a bit and then got to trot to catch up.  

We arrived at our dinner spot – a wagon-looking grill and picnic area. By that point, one of my nephews was in the deep depths of a horse allergic reaction so they offered (and he accepted) to take some Benedryl and ride back down in the car.  He hung out with us for dinner though which was surprisingly good.  We had steak, excellent grilled potatoes, beans, and bread.  They even had “Cowboy Coffee” for the caffeine addicted. 

Wagon Grill

Got back on the horses and by that point we were aching a bit (knees, bum, etc) but we made it back before sunset and said goodbye to Bernie, Hitch, and the rest of the horses.  One hint – if you tell them you’re an experienced rider, they give you the horses that act up a bit so for the most enjoyable time, swallow your pride and tell them you’ve never put your foot in a saddle. 

Strongly recommend this fun activity for families with kids (age 3 and up) or groups that want to take enjoy the scenery and West without flying down a mountain on a bike or falling in the river on a raft.  Thank you, Sombrero Stables!

- Bike up Vasquez Road and continue straight. Turns into water board road (about 5 cars and trucks came down as we biked up, but it was a Sunday)

- Continue up and up and eventually, you’ll see the turn off to the LEFT for Blue Sky Trail. At this point, you may be cursing me for giving you this idea.  It is all uphill at this point but when you get on the trail, it’s pretty much all back down, so you can give your heart a rest and test your skills on the single track.

- After about 5 minutes from turning left, you’ll see the single track entrance to Blue Sky (again to left). Get clipped in (or in my case, shoved in to open toe holds) and enjoy the ride. Be careful of riders coming up hill. I came 6 inches from a collision.   You’ll encounter some roots, some rocky areas, and little bridges. You pass over the rambling river a few times and it makes for great shots.

- The trail ends and spits you out on Arapahoe Road which meets up with Vasquez and back into town – enjoy flying down perfect pavement and roll into Deno’s for a brew on the patio.

9am – departed Winter Park with lunch packed

9:40am – arrived in Grand Lake, parked on main drag across from park

9:40 am – 10:40am – played on big play structures in park with lots of other kids. Four swings – 2 for little guys, 2 for bigger kids.

10:40 – walked down to lake (3 minute walk) and played at “beach”. Nice thing is that water is really cold do you don’t have to worry much about your toddlers jumping right in. They think it’s good enough to get their feet wet and laugh at the dogs jumping in after the ball.  Lots of sailboats and motor boats where out.  If you wanted to break the $2 budget, you could rent paddleboats (seat 4) for $24/hr for 2 people or $32/hr for 4 people.  You can also rent boats right there too but that would probably break the bank.

11:30am – had packed lunch on picnic benches and faced the water so we were entertained with the view. Kids ate

Yum! $1 cones.

more than normal. Guess this strategy worked.

12 noon – packed up lunch, and headed to ice cream.  You can go right there by the beach (homemade ice cream, looked good) but we went back up to the ice cream joint in town b/c there were about 30 people in line at the one by the beach.  Got a chocolate ice cream – kid size – for each child in sugar cone.  $1 each.  wow!  Sat outside on a bench for little kids and they looked so cute eating their ice cream, a lady stopped and took a picture of them with her camera.

12:30pm – walked the boardwalk a bit and then got in the car and headed back to Winter Park

12:40pm – two boys fast asleep in the car just as the afternoon rain started to fall.

Saturday July 10, 2010 the Grand Arts, Wine and Cheese Festival will kick off.  Starting at 10AM and running through the afternoon until 5PM Wine, art and cheese will be on display Rocky Mountain style.

Stroll through the Village at Winter Park  and visit with local Grand County artists as they show off their talents in this one-of-a-kind arts festival. Watch, do, listen and learn in our hands-on interactive “Learning Tents.” Enjoy live music while you explore one-of-a-kind photography, jewelry, paintings, and more. A variety of these artisans will be offering artist demonstrations and hands-on classes during the day.

The wine and cheese festival is in addition to all the other great activities that are available at the Winter Park base. Check out the alpine slide, putt put golf, Trestle Bike Park, climbing wall and may other activities.

The weather has been great up here the last few weeks and there is just so much to do this time of year.

Get on up to Winter Park and play hard and rest easy with Winter Park Lodging Company.  And finish it all of with some wine, cheese and art in the Winter Park Village.

]]> http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/07/07/art-wine-cheese-in-winter-park-co/feed/ 0 http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/06/30/blues-from-the-top-festival-in-winter-park/ http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/06/30/blues-from-the-top-festival-in-winter-park/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:40:15 +0000 Valarie http://www.wplbo.com/news/?p=3315 Continue reading →]]>

JP Soars and his handmade guitar

It turned out to be another perfect weekend of beautiful weather and outstanding blues performances for the eighth annual Blues from the Top festival in Winter Park, Colorado.  This weekend is my personal favorite of all Winter Park music festivals because: 1) it kicks off the summer in Winter Park; and 2) you can dance to the blues music right in front of the stage. You must check it out sometime if you haven’t yet.

The festivities started on Friday night with Curtis Salgado followed by Andy Irvine’s Blues Collective at Music at the Mall at Cooper Creek Square, then moved over to Smokin’ Moes for the official Pre-Festival Jam with jam performances by the festival’s performers.   The dance floor at Smokin’ Moes was packed as usual and the musicians were clearly having as much fun as we were!

I missed the show on Saturday, but the highlight (from what I’ve heard) was the Walter Trout performance preceded by the hail strorm that swiftly cleared the park out for about 10 minutes. The cooler air after the storm was welcomed by my festival-goer friends, who came back to enjoy Walter and his band close out Saturday’s show.

Sunday’s show started out with a mimosa from one of the vendors, then my freinds and I settled in our campchairs to take in some sun and music. It wasn’t long though before we were up dancing to the tunes.  We had Curtis Salgado, Nick Moss and the Fliptops, Mike Zito, Theresa James, JP Soars and Trampled Under Foot.  JP Soars was especially entertaining with his handmade guitar (pictured). His high energy blues, paired with a deep soulful voice, was definitely a lot of fun to dance to. 

There were a lot of vendors to peruse between acts, plus good food like BBQ, Fried Catfish and Mexican. I loved the authentic $3 tamale and the mint chocolate chip ice cream for desert.  The continual lathering of sunscreen was necessary with all the wonderfully bright sunshine, with no afternoon thunderstorm or hardly a cloud in sight.  The Australian hat vendor sure must have made a killing, although be warned, he doesn’t take bargaining jokes lightly.

Ah, just another fun summer weekend in Winter Park, with plenty more to come. Next up is the Free Hi Country Music Festival, the Winter Park Jazz Festival, the Free Fox Classic Rock Festival and the Crankworx Colorado Mountain Bike Festival. The summer was just kicked off wonderfully by the Blues from the Top Music Fest.

The Winter Park Free Music Thursdays started last week and continues this week with Boa & Thde Constrictors.

Next week the guest is Opie Gone Bad. These guys are a big name to have up here in Winter Park for a free show.  With some of the bigger names in music getting ticket prices in the $300 range this is a breath of fresh air.

On Thursday July 8th you can get on up to Winter Park, CO bringing your favorite picnic meal, wine or other adult beverage and sit in the beautiful Hideaway Park Amphitheater and see Opie Gone Bad for only the price of gas, food and booze.  That sounds like a screaming deal and a darn good time.

Music outside in Winter Park can not be beat.  There is a long tradition od great music up here in WP.  The American Music Festival was an annual event here for  long time and played host to some of the biggest names in music including Dave Matthews, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Warren Zevon just to name a few.

If you are looking to see some music and want to get out of the heat and crowds down in the cities check out Winter Park’s free music Thursdays.

Winter Park Lodging Company is running a third night free special right now so come on up to the cool air of Winter Park for three nights and only pay for two.  Make you plans now for some great music up in the Rocky Mountains.

]]> http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/06/28/opie-gone-bad-in-winter-park-co/feed/ 0 http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/06/21/winter-park-co-summer-fun/ http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/06/21/winter-park-co-summer-fun/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:07:33 +0000 Chris http://www.wplbo.com/news/?p=3298 Continue reading →]]>

Summer in Winter Park, Colorado

Today is the first day of summer officially and that means it is hot, very hot down in the low lands and dreamy beautiful up here in the Rocky Mountains.   The time to head to Winter Park is now to enjoy the beauty of Colorado without the crowds.

Here is the weather for Denver June 21st to June 24th:

89°F Current: Cloudy Wind: W at 4 mph Humidity: 80% Mon 89°F | 60°F Tue 91°F | 61°F Wed 81°F | 60°F Thu 89°F | 64°F

63°F | °C Current: Cloudy Wind: W at 4 mph Humidity: 80% Mon 89°F | 60°F Tue 91°F | 61°F Wed 81°F | 60°F Thu 89°F | 64°F

And here is the weather for Winter Park, CO.

Mon

71°F | 42°F

Tue

73°F | 42°F

Wed

66°F | 43°F

Thu

73°F | 47°F

As I said time to get out of the heat!

Lots of events and activities in WP this time of year also. The Eighth Annual Winter Park Blues Fest starts this Thursday with the best lineup ever for this rockin’ show.

There is also the Winter Park Chocolate Festival this weekend on June 26th.  Taste some great chocolate with some wine and have a great time in the Rockies.

And for the kids there are all the events and activities in the  Winter Park Village and base area:

COCA-COLA® FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT
Fridays, June 25 – September 3 The Village at Winter Park presents Outdoor Movie Night! We will be showing a great selection of family and kid-friendly movies every Friday evening from June 25 – Labor Day Weekend. Movies will be held outdoors on the lawn next to the Discovery Center and are free to the public. A limited number of chairs are provided. All movies will begin just after sunset. Times may vary week to week.

CIRQUE du SATURDAYS
Saturdays, July 3 - September 4

It’s a circus in the mountains every Saturday in the Village at Winter Park!  Kids will enjoy the fun and festive atmosphere as they walk with troubadours, unicyclists, stiltwalkers, jugglers, and more in the Village from 10am – 2pm. Don’t forget to pause long enough for free face-painting and caricatures. All events are free and fun! Come one, come all! Don’t miss out on the chance to join the circus!

KIDS’ NIGHT OUT
Saturdays, July 3 – August 21

This fun, activity-filled evening is for 4-12 year olds. This program is loaded with indoor and outdoor activities and it includes dinner and s’mores by the firepit! Kids’ Night Out is a worry-free night out for Mom & Dad and a convenient alternative to at-home babysitting.  Kids’ Night Out is held at the Discovery Center in the Village at Winter Park on Saturday evenings from 5:30pm – 9:00pm starting July 3rd and running through August 21.  Kids’ Night Out is a FREE childcare service offered to parents on the condition that $30 per child is spent in any commercial outlet at the resort during the hours that your children are in the program. We do require original receipts to verify the expenditure. If less than $30 per child is spent, parents will be charged the difference. Kids Night Out includes: Dinner from Doc’s Roadhouse and Outdoor Activities / Indoor Activities - games, crafts, movies.

Reservations: Please reserve your child’s space by 3pm on Saturday. Call Winter Park Guest Services at 800.729.7907 to reserve your child’s space. Enrollment is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Now that is a deal free day/night care while the parents head out for a drinks and dinner.

Summer is here and the now is the time to make your plan to head up to the mountains.  Let Winter Park Lodging Company make your getaway fun, economical and relaxing.

Tipperary to Spruce Creek

The third Winter Park mountain bike trail of the week is here.  This week we have a great ride with some double and single track going trough Spruce Creek a couple times.  Overall it is a great ride with some water, good downhill jumps and great mountain scenery.

Tipperary to Spruce Creek

Distance: 7miles
Trail Location: From the Winter Park Visitor Center head north on US Hwy 40 into the town of Fraser. At the stop light turn left onto CR 72 stay right and drive through the meadow. At the “T” take a left, at the top of the hill you will see the Rodeo grounds.
Trail Description: Begin at the rodeo grounds west of Fraser. Head west on Givelo Trail. At the first intersection, CR 50S, turn right. Stay left on CR 50. Continue on CR 50 uphill, past two lodges on the right and over the cattle guard. Look for Tipperary on your left. Take a left on to Tipperary. Tipperary is a two track climb through, pines, aspens and lush mountain meadows. A canopy of trees covers much of the trail. Cross the first creek; continue to climb. Climb through two meadows, past a couple of springs, past the intersection to Back Scratch and through the second (and last) creek. The trail levels and begins the descent not long after a wet spring-fed area. You are now on Spruce Creek. (You only know this by looking at the map as there is no intersection or sign) The descent is much more technical than the climb. It’s loose and rocky, so be careful. Your next turn is a left onto St. Louis Creek Road and follow this back to your vehicle at the Rodeo Grounds.

Come on out and enjoy the great Colorado outdoors.  Let Winter Park Lodging Company supply your Winter Park summer vacation lodging and enjoy an active healthy getaway.

Colorado Summer Food Festivals

Chocolate Chocolate  Chocolate …. who doesn’t like chocolate? What is your favorite chocolate? Well lets try some of the best before we make that call.

Winter Park Resort is putting on a summer food festival that is all about the love of chocolate.

Winter Park CO Chocolate Festival

June 26th 2010

A treat for the Winter Park vacationers and a destination for chocolate lovers around the state! Everyone loves chocolate! The Winter Park Chocolate Festival will include chocolate samples and fine chocolates for sale from a wide variety of regional vendors. Special guests and a full-day’s event schedule round out the fun!

There is even a wine pairing with chocolate session. Now that is right up my alley – wine and chocolate.

Saturday the 26th

10am -     Winter Park Chocolate Festival opens!

11 am – Pudding Eating Contest!

Rounds for kids and adults! The catch – no hands!

12 noon – Denise Nickerson on Stage!

Star of the original Willy Wonka film talks about ”My Life as the Blueberry Girl”

1 pm – Truffle Competition Awards Presentation

2 pm – Truffle Demo with Chef Trusan

3pm – Chocolate and Wine-Pairing demo with The Chocolate Therapist, Julie Pech

3 – 5 pm – Wine Tasting

5pm – Festival closes.

Sounds like a great way to to enjoy some tasty treats and in Colorado Rockies.

What is your favorite chocolate? The favorite in our home at the moment is the Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt .  Sounds odd but man it is delicious especially with red wine.