Best Coffee in Winter Park, Colorado

Best Cup of Joe in Winter Park, CO

Coffee, it seems to be every man’s early morning addiction. It makes the morning a little better, a little warmer and cleans the cobwebs out of the noggin’.  Well, we have a few caffeine dealers here in Winter Park, CO and we thought we would share Winter Park Lodging Company’s favorites place to get a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Sooo, here is the top three list of best places to get a cup of coffee in Winter Park, CO.  These are in no particular order:

Rocky Mountain Roastery is one of the local shops here in WP and is a favorite of the WPLCo girls.  The Roastery has two stores one in Winter Park and the other down the road in Fraser (this store is the locals choice).  Here is what the Roastery has to say about themselves:

Rocky Mountain Roastery and Coffee Company was founded in 1993 in Fraser, Colorado, near the famous Winter Park ski resort. Since then we have become known for our unique high mountain roasting process, which allows more flavor to develop in each bean we roast. Each batch is slow roasted by hand at 8,550 ft. to ensure that your coffee is the very best it can be. We are family owned and operated business and always strive to outperform your expectations. We guarantee that you will love this coffee, or simply return it for an exchange or full refund!

RMR offers a $1 cup of coffee if you bring your own cup.  Great deal but they do charge for wireless internet.

Mountain Grind is another local choice and they are headquartered in Winter Park at The Cooper Creek Square.  Serving great coffee, fudge and creamy Italian gelato.  Lots of food items and serving beer, liquor and wine.  Here is what Mountain Grind has to say about themselves:

Come see Mountain Grind for free unlimited wifi, breakfast, lunch, dessert, coffee, or catering and treat yourself to something special! Visit us fountainside at Cooper Creek Square. You’ll love Winter Park’s friendliest (and lots more) coffee shop!

Lastly we have Starbucks.  Two locations in the Winter Park/Fraser area.  One at the Winter Park Resort Village and the other at Safeway in Fraser.  I won’t go on as anyone who drinks coffee and most who don’t have been into a local Starbucks.

Wakeup! Have a cup of coffee.

Winter Park, CO Breakfast

Sharky’s Grill Winter Park/Fraser, Colorado

I had a chance to finally get out on a weekend morning try the local eatery Sharky’s Grill after a early morning mountain bike ride.  I have been meaning to head over and try Sharky’s after several people had told me they have great green chili and a killer breakfast burrito. And I now whole heartedly agree.

I wrote a piece about Winter Park breakfasts and specifically breakfast burritos about a year ago.  There were a couple of comments on that blog about not including Sharky’s on the five best list and I said I would check them out.  Well about nine months later I have finally had a breakfast at a restaurant in the area (2 year old twins seem to make restaurant trips not so fun).

Anywho, after a day biking with Ed Raegner, Mike Ayers and Dr. Steve up on the Broken Thumb and Twisted Ankle trails back behind old Idlewild ski area Ed and I were able to have a bite at Sharky’s.  I had the special, a chorizo breakfast burrito, and Ed had corn beef and hash.  Ed’s looked very good and my burrito was just awesome.  Big, spicy and topped with fresh avocado, sour cream and a great green chili sauce.  We sat outside at a nice little two top and service was efficient.  Food took a tad long but it was a Sunday at brunch time and there was a wait for tables.

Overall the food was great, probably the best breakfast I’ve had in Grand County, and the service and atmosphere were commendable also.

Give Sharky’s a try for a truly great breakfast burrito. You can check out their Sharky’s Facebook Page or find them on their Google maps page.

Winter Park July Recipe of the Month

It’s sunny and warm in Grand County this month but most likely a lot cooler than wherever you are if you’re not here. Come on up and stay in one of our properties with big outdoor porches and grill up some marinated flank steak, summer-fresh aspargus, and mashed potatoes with garlic.  Here is my mama’s recipe for the flank steak marinade. Probably my favorite thing to eat. Don’t tell ma that I published it on the internet!

Grillin' in WP!

In a bowl, mix:

- 1 & 1/2 cup salad oil

- 3/4 cup soy sauce

- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

- 2 T. dry mustard

2 & 1/4 tsp salt

1 T. course, freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup white or red wine vinegar

1 & 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes (i skip that sometimes)

2 crushed garlic cloves, if you aren’t a vampire (can leave out if so)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

In a casserole dish, lay out flank steak. cover with the marinade and put in the fridge. Turn at least once so both sides get good and tasty.  Best if you leave overnight.  My mom says you can reuse the marinade a second time but that sounds a little gross to me.

Now you have to book your lodging so you can grill out without sweating to death.  We even had our fleeces on this week after dinner!

Winter Park Beer Festival

Winter Park Beer Festival Pricing

The Winter Park Beer Festival being held at the Winter Park Base Saturday August 14, 2010 has set the beer tasting prices.  See list below.

The WP Beer Fest will be held in Hideaway Park and there will be over 25 breweries sampling there products with live music onstage and vendors vending all that you will need to celebrate a beer festival high in the Rocky Mountains.  The WP Beer Fest benefits the National Sports Center for the Disabled, one of the most worthwhile causes that I know of.

Winter Park Beer Festival tickets:

Unlimited Tasting!
From 12-5pm
Only $25 (Save $5)
Live Music and Fun Included
Pre-Sale Price
Expires 8/12/10 at 5pm
$30 At The Door

VIP Tasting!
Unlimited Tasting From 12-5pm
Only $45 (Save $5)
Includes:
Commemorative Glass Mug,
Private VIP Patio, Private VIP
Seating Near The Stage, Lunch
Buffet and More!
Pre-Sale Price Expires 8/12/2010
$50 At The Door

Click Here to Purchase Winter Park Beer Festival Tickets

Here is hoping that the above three young ladies will be attending and serving some cold suds at the WP Beer Festival.

To get your Beer Festival lodging visit Winter Park Lodging Company.

Trestle Bike Park at Winter Park Resort

Colorado Downhill Mountain  Biking

Trestle Bike Park, the fastest growing bike park in the US, is opening for the 2010 bike season on June 12th.  This coming year promises to be Winter Park’s and Trestle Bike Park’s biggest and best mountain bike season year with more trail bigger jumps and better biking equipment available.

More trails, bigger rental fleet, more features, expanded high-end demo fleet, more jumps, additional extended hours, and did we mention more trails? This season, Trestle will continue to buff out the 8 new trails constructed last summer, plus they will keep building additional trails to give all riders a complete bike park experience.

Never heard of or seen gravity fed downhill mountain biking?  No problem. At Trestle this year there will be a top to bottom beginner trail (over 5 miles long) along with great deals on equipment and lessons to get you hooked.  And hooked you will be!  Or your young ones will be, especially if they are fun seeking kids and want a to have a great day.

As stated above there are eight new trails that will be available this year that were built last year and finished this spring.  There are also new trails that will be completed this year.

Hours of Operation:*
9:30am-5pm daily, Mid-June – Early September
9:30am-7pm on Freeride Fridays, July & August
9:30am-5pm weekends in September

Trestle Bike Park Specials:

Downhill mountain biking is all the rage in the Pacific Northwest, especially around Vancouver, Canada.  Whistler Bike Park is the worlds biggest and best bike park and according to legend where the grand sport of gravity fed downhill mountain biking was originated.  Trestle Bike Park is being built to replicate Whistler Bike Park and things are looking good.

Trestle can be ridden with your everyday mountain bike but is is definitely preferable to be done with a specifically designed downhill mountain bike.  The downhill bikes have bigger shocks for more clearance , better and lower center of gravity that the trails and jumps demand.  Full face helmets and body armor will guarantee a fun and safe riding experience.  There is not much riding uphill with these bikes as they weigh more than 50 lbs and have big shocks that make them a little squishy.  The comparison can be made as to taking an old 10 speed road bike on a cross country mountain bike ride is like taking a CC mountain bike on a downhill mountain bike course.  It can be done but why would you do it?

You may be asking, “is it a workout downhill mountain biking?”  Yes it is.  Definitely different that a cross country bike ride but it may be even more tiring on the body while working arms, legs and  core muscles.

Winter Park Lodging Company will offer deals on Trestle Bike Park tickets and bike rentals.  Come up for Trestle or make sure to reserve  a day to spend on the Winter Park hills in the park.

So Trestle Bike Park opens for the 2010 year this June 12th.  Get out and enjoy the high country and spend a very fun, exciting, physical day at the Trestle Bike Park.

Winter Park, CO Music Festivals

Summer Music in Winter Park Colorado

Music is in the air this year in Winter Park, Colorado.  The big festivals are back and there is a smattering of some new events to make this a great year up here in Rockies.  There will be jazz, blues, rock and country festivals through the season at the Hideaway Park venue in downtown Winter Park, CO.

The Winter Park Jazz Festival - A Colorado tradition for over 20 years and it just keeps on getting stronger.  This year featuring Chaka Khan and Norman Browns Summer Storm. The Jazz Festival is the premier summer jazz fest in the Rocky Mountain region.

Blues From The Top Music Festival – From the Grand County Blues Society this is one rockin’ show that blues lovers do not want to miss.  Tis’ is a full weekend of music with a Friday night show at Smokin’ Moe’s to get the party started right.

The Fox Classic Rock Music Festival – Featuring that ‘80′s hit producing machine Night Ranger, tell me you don’t remember the high school classic Sister Christian.  Come out for a day of Music, Food, Beer Pavilion, Vendors and Fun.  103.5 The Fox brings a GREAT line up of music and fun.  Gates and Vendors open at 10 am for this FREE EVENT!  Yes it is free, not something you hear very often when it comes to live music!  Show is 8/7/2010 from noon to 6PM. Contact winter Park Lodging Company for your tickets.

KYGO High Country Music Festival – Another free festival featuring Chris Cagle, The Josh Abbott Band and Kory Brunson. No editorializing here as I’m not a Country Music aficionado. I bet though it would be a great time and a lot cheaper than the $300.00 U2 is getting for their Denver show this summer.

There is also the season long High Note Thursday free shows in Hideaway Park. Artists have not been released yet.  Also there is the season ling Fraser Picnic In The Park Series with Denver and local artists.

We have a lot of music going on up here in winter Park, CO along with great weather and more outdoor activities than you could name.

Come have a great summer time in Winter Park, Colorado.

See Winter Park Lodging Company for tickets to all events and the best music lodging available.

Pole Creek Golf Club to Open May 15th

Winter Park, CO Golf

Pole Creek Golf Club, Colorado’s #1 public golf course, will open for the 2010 golf season May15th, 2010.  Pole Creek is a convenient and scenic drive from Denver, through Winter Park, to the small mountain town of Tabernash, Colo.  It is known for its 27 holes of classic mountain golf and breathtaking views.

Pole Creek introduces new additions and improvements for the summer 2010 season. Opening Saturday, May 15, 2010, the newly renovated 12,000 square foot clubhouse features traditional rustic mountain décor, an open floor plan, and the best views in the Fraser Valley of the Rocky Mountains and Continental Divide. The new clubhouse offers a full service restaurant, fully stocked golf shop, and is the perfect location to host your golf tournament, group outing, corporate party, reception, and special event.

The new Pole Creek Clubhouse features hearty and delicious Colorado cuisine at the Bistro 28 restaurant. New this summer, Bistro 28 will offer Friday night fish fry, Saturday evening prime rib special, affordable burger and beer deals, and an authentic Colorado smoked meat and BBQ station on the sunny clubhouse deck.

Pole Creek is the only Colorado mountain course with a 27 hole layout and has some of the most spectacular views of any golf course that you will ever play.  The air is very thin up this way so count on your ball flying an extra 20% from what you normally drive.

The Ranch, The Meadow and The Ridge are the three 9 hole courses here at Pole Creek. The courses design was conceived by Denis Griffiths, who incorporated existing lodgepole pine, valley meadows, sagebrush and a variety of water hazards including five lakes to create a versatile course appealing to a wide range of golfers.

Looking for Pole Creek golf course lodging?  Look no further than Winter Park Lodging Company.  Lodging options for all activities in Winter Park, Colorado, Fraser, Tabernash and all of east Grand County.

Hot Sulphur Springs, CO. Mineral Baths

Mineral Baths Near Winter Park Colorado

Hot Sulphur Springs, CO is not the most original name out there but a telling name it is.  Hot Sulpher has been relaxing travelers for many, many years from as long back as the Ute Indians were running things up here in this part of Grand County.

The first inhabitants of the springs were the Ute Indians who used the hot springs for many years. The Utes believed in the healing qualities of the waters and referred to them as “big medicine” and “magic waters”, and bathed themselves, their horses and dogs, children and women in the water, in that order! The Ute Indians often set their winter hunting camps beneath the natural shelter offered by the bluffs enclosing Byers Canyon, which adjoins our property. In 1840 William Byers, for whom the canyon is named, became the first white man to discover the hot water at our little town, which he named Hot Sulphur Springs. Byers recognized the economic potential of the baths and the surrounding area. With the aid of the U.S. Cavalry and the courts, he acquired the land, somewhat deviously, from the Ute Tribe.

The resort has been continually operational for 140 years and in the 1920’s to 1950’s was one of the most popular hot springs resorts in the Rocky Mountain States. In 1997, after our extensive renovation, the Ute tribal spiritual leader blessed the waters at our opening ceremony that almost 1,000 people attended. The Ute Indians are welcome to use the springs once again. We are blessed by enjoying renewed recognition and attendance and are considered one of the best natural hot mineral springs resorts and spas in the country.

The mineral baths at Hot Sulphur Springs are a great place to spend a day.  It is nice kid friendly and a perfect place to relax after a day of skiing.

Here is a discount coupon for the mineral baths.  If you need transportation out to Hot Sulphur Springs be sure to call Curt at Valley Taxi.  They do run taxis out there and bring you back as well.

So, if you need a little relaxation in the Colorado Rockies look no further than the mineral baths in Hot Sulphur Springs.

Winter Park, CO Mexican Food

Mountain Rose Cafe

With the end of ski season coming upon us it seems that we have been eating out more than usual.  And maybe because it is now spring I have been having a hankerin’ for Mexican food and margaritas.  So in the last week or so we have eaten at Azteca in Winter Park, Lime in the Winter Park  Resort Village and Mountain Rose.  I thought I would give a run down of what I thought of these Mexican food serving establishments.  Mountain Rose serves lots of different types of food but when we were there I had a burrito and I will include that in this blog.

Azteca – this is one of our usual haunts and they serve up some great salsa and margaritas.  We usually order the espresso burrito (no idea why it’s called that) and it is always very tasty.  Azteca has two locations in the Winter Aprk area and we seem to always go the the one in the Kings Crossing building.

Lime – My wife had sworn off Lime the last time we went ther because of the cold in the building and the food. After skiing this week we decided to give it another chance and we were rewarded.  It seems Lime has figured out their heating issues and have inproved their kitchen.  I had a mix of three enchiladas (chicken, beef, cheese) and the wife had a bowl of black bean soup.  All  was very good as well as fantastic chips and salsa.  Carolina our server was very friendly and helpful.

Mountain Rose Cafe – This is a breakfast/lunch place that serves up a great chicken or breakfast burrito.  My wife tells me they have great baked goods and other items but I always get the breakfast or lunch burrito.

There is also Carlos and Maria’s in the Cooper Creek square that I have not been to in over a year.  From my memory they have decent food and some pretty good margaritas.  A couple of friends I ski with swear by Carlos and Maria’s as the best Mexican food in the Winter Park area.

So, ’tis spring and the time for tacos, burritos and margaritas!  Get on out and have a cold margarita in Winter Park, Colorado.

Devils Thumb Ranch Birthday Party

Devils Thumb Ranch Pony Ride Birthday Party

Having twin 2 1/2 year olds we are starting to get our fair share of birthday party invitations.  Nicholas and Willem have now been to two birthday parties.  The first at Grand Park Rec Center in the gymnastics room was fantastic.  The second was a birthday party out at Devils Thumb Ranch and it was one cool party.  They definitely didn’t do birthdays like this when I was three.

The party started out at the stables at Devils Thumb Ranch and driving up the stables are just so impressive.  We walked up and there were two of the biggest horse that I have ever seen teamed up and ready to go in their bridles.  We were offered hot chocolate and cowboy hats for the kids.  Next thing you know we are heading out on sleds pulled by the massive horses.  We took a little trip to the grazing pastures and were able to let the kids get up and close with the horses.  After some petting and playing with the horses we made our way back for a lunch around a few campfires that ended with the kids roasting smores on skewers provided by Devils Thumb.  It was then time for the little ones to take a pony ride (Willem is above on the pony enjoying himself).  The party then ended with birthday cake in the stables.

What a great idea for a little ones birthday.  The kids were able to get up and close to some impressive animals and be outside and enjoy the morning.  It was also interesting for the parents and we were able to see another side of Devils Thumb Ranch.

Have a birthday coming up for a youngster?  Check out Devils Thumb Ranch for your party.