The Eichlers actually first arrived in the valley in 1963, operating various businesses, and actually opened the Gasthaus Eichler Restaurant in Park Place Shopping Center in 1980. In 1987, they purchased property on Main Street, alongside Vasquex Creek, and built the current property which included 15 hotel rooms, bar, ski shop and of course the restaurant.

The great thing is that the original menu is back, and with it every item being made by hand. This restaurant has always had a reputation for being somewhere really nice to go to – for an anniversary, celebration or just as a treat. German cuisine favorites such as wiener schnitzel, jagerschnitzel, paprika goulash and rinmdsrolladen return, as are the regular fare of roasted duck, rocky mountain trout, steak diane and chateaubriand.

They’re open for lunch and dinner, and it’s quite possible that word hasn’t really truly got out that they’re up and running and welcoming ”old” customers and new diners alike. The Gasthaus Eichler website hasn’t yet got their menu posted, but pick up a Grand County Menu Guide from the front desk, or just swing by unannounced and you’re sure to experience the “wilkommen” atmosphere.

You’ll notice I said ski to/ski from, because many (especially the Europeans) associate ski in/ski out with the ability to walk a few steps from your hotel or other lodging, snap into your skis or snowboards, and be on the trail immediately. Even new lodging at the base of Winter Park doesn’t meet this criteria, but then again, if you go searching for an “official” definition of ski-in/ski-out, you won’t find it. That you can walk up to the trail, fully clad in ski clothing with skis on your shoulder, in 2-3 minutes, and then get on a trail which takes you to the base of Winter Park, is really all the information you should need. If not that, then the free shuttle bus comes by within 25 yards of your front door.

I was up at the unit yesterday, taking “summer” photos for the website and our library, and the sound effects of Jane Creek cascading down within a few steps of the back deck were exhilarating. The unit has a covered, outdoor hot-tub and grill on the deck – envision sitting in the hot-tub with a glass or bottle of your favorite beverage, steak on the BBQ grill, a music festival to enjoy the next day – that’s what a summer getaway to the mountains is all about. Base Camp helps you do that.

I’ll let our webpage on Base Camp #476 tell the story of how fantastic this unit really is, and what a pleasure it is to be able to offer it up as a vacation rental in Winter Park.

Go to our Winter Park Music Festivals page for a full run-down (or line-up) of artists performing over the weekend, but Walter Trout and the Radicals headline on Saturday, and Trampled Under Foot close out on Sunday. Cool.

I’ve been to Music Festivals before where too many people start to “exit the building” just as the headline act comes on stage, purely to try and get a head-start on the traffic which, admittedly, can be heavy over the weekends during summer. No real difference to winter, but for me it defeats the object of attending the music festival in the first place. My recommendation would be to attend the whole event and take advantage of Vacations Inc’s free night special (if you stay 2 nights) by either checking out late, or indeed going home – if you’ve come up from the front range - early Monday morning. That way you can stay, shower, and generally chill in your condo and perhaps enjoy a relaxing meal out, and then hit the road at 9PM when no-one is around.

Looking ahead, the Weather Channel  for Winter Park predicts highs of 67 on Saturday and 65 on Sunday, with sun and some clouds, more so on the Sunday. Seeing as the current temperature is supposed to be 69, and it’s actually 78 out there as I type, it will probably be warmer than predicted. Don’t forget that Factor 30 suncream unless you want to crisp.

Former Head Professional of Pole Creek and long-time friend Kim Anders refers to a round of golf as the occasion to go “hit and giggle” – tough to do when you see you ball careering towards the trees, water, someone’s backyard, but I guess if I adopted this approach more often, maybe I wouldn’t go there!

Opening Day for Pole Creek is tomorrow, May 15^th, and yesterday evening sitting in my hot-tub with the snow continuing to fall heavily, I wondered whether that was still wishful thinking. It’s always difficult for an opening day to be established too far in advance, and the snow we’ve had since the ski season ended has definitely not assisted in this regard. However, yesterday I also had the opportunity to speak to both Larry Burks, General Manager of Pole Creek, and Head Golf Course Superintendant Craig Cahalane, and get a feel for how the course is looking now and an outlook for the summer.

The big question always, is how well the golf course has survived the rigors of winter. Amount of snowfall, timing of snowfall, freeze-thaws, drainage, on-set of warmer weather – all conjure up a variety of challenges for Craig and his crew in trying to ready the course as early as possible. On a scale of 1 to 10  Craig gave the course an 8 and perhaps more importantly, the greens a 9. Ice damage, which has caused all sorts of problems in the past, is virtually non-existent on the greens this year, thanks to an action plan adopted a couple of years ago whereby they would be cleared of snow around the beginning of March and for the most part kept cleared from then on. As March is statistically the heaviest month for snowfall of the whole year (and April second heaviest), this is quite an undertaking, but has proven effective in limiting the damage to the greens to the largest extent.

The greens are actually cleared manually, with hand-controlled snow-blowers set high enough off the ground so as to not rip into the green itself. Then it’s a question of treatment with fungicide, and keeping ice from forming for too long. Some greens or parts of them are covered to assist in this process. The end result is a much higher quality of greens from the start and a superior golfing experience, rather than having to play catch-up throughout the summer or – at worst –having to replace sections of the greens themselves with new turf. As for the tees and greens, other than the normal snow mold in places which – with warmer weather – will take no time to turn around, things are looking really good.

The pine beetle infestation which has been a real headache for a number of years may perhaps be finally abating. Only 180 dead trees were cut down this year, with no impact on layout of holes or aesthetics. In addition there might only be 1 more year of spraying, so the outlook here too is postivie.

After all the irrigation work two years ago and a brand new clubhouse which debuted last year, perhaps the final piece of the puzzle is to have fully paved cart-paths. In addition to two contributing tournaments, an allocation has been made from the budget towards cart-path paving and if golf revenue comes in above budget, there may be more to spend.

All in all, I detect more grounds for optimism for a great summer of golf than ever before. As always, attention will focus on the weather, but in the words of one of our summer tagline: “Work Be Gone, Play Begin!”

The Peck House dates back to the 1860s and is actually the oldest hotel in Colorado still in operation. As this post is about the restaurant however, I’ll let the history buffs find out more about the hotel’s history by going to their website, http://www.thepeckhouse.com

Gary St. Clair is the owner-chef of the restaurant, and he has won the coveted Governor’s award for his Colorado cuisine. The extensive menu includes a selection of beef, chicken, seafood, game and historic dishes, 17 choices in all, plus specials every night. The dining room itself feels more like someone’s private living room from older times, and boasts a wonderful view of the Empire Valley and Union Pass.

We’d eaten there twice before, both special occasions, as was this one on Monday April 19^th, the day after the Winter Park Resort closed for the season. It was difficult to choose something other than our “favorites”, mainly because they were so enjoyable last time around, so we pretty much ended up having what we’d had before: Mrs. Peck’s Steak & Oyster Pie – an historic secret recipe from the past using choice tidbits of beef, mushrooms, oysters, a secret sauce, and deep-dish baked under a puff pastry; Napolean Chardonnay Chicken – chicken sautéed in a chardonnay cream sauce with mushrooms  in a puff pastry; and Raspberry Duck – a boneless breast of roast duck with a raspberry Grand Marnier sauce. My 3-¾ year-old daughter had steak from the kids menu! This was preceded by a seafood combo appetizer of smoked salmon, trout and shrimp, and escargot with mushrooms.

Needless to say, the food was once again fantastic and of course we were guilty of eating way too much. Check out the wine list also for not only a unique presentation but a variety of wines that you may not even have come across before, and all at very reasonable prices.

What we enjoy about the Peck House is the uniqueness of the dining experience, the history of the hotel and all the antiques everywhere, and a great menu that you won’t find replicated anywhere else. It’s definitely worth the drive over Berthoud Pass and back if you’re already in Winter Park, or as a stop for dinner on either the inward or outward journey if Winter Park is your vacation destination.