Motherlode 2003

One of the best things to do is to find an outdoor table at a bar or restaurant and watch the people go by. Or strike up a conversation with the next table. You meet all kinds of people.

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Leave the car in the parking garage. You don't need it if you stay in town. If you like to ski, fall is when even the ritziest shops have their ski gear 80% off sale. Remember, even at 80% off, things are still expensive. Best kept secret in Aspen: Skiers Chalet Hotel

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The Skier’s Chalet in Aspen was by far the best place I have stayed in my seven years of the Motherlode. Tiny place, but nicely decorated like a Swiss chalet in the Alps. The rooms have 2 double beds or 1 king and all but two rooms are non-smoking. They do allow dogs, but only with advance notice. The baths have these luxurious showerheads with tiny multiple heads around one large one. Looks like a strange metal flower. Absolute heaven. The rooms also have cable TV, a small refrigerator and lots of storage, more than we needed.

The hotel is located in a prime location at the base of the A1 ski lift so it is ski in/ski out. If you don’t ski, who cares, the place is fantastic. The front balcony of the building has wonderful views of town. There’s a small pool in the back. No whirlpool, which would be nice, however, the pool's temperature is a 85 degrees, so it’s like a hot tub without the bubbles. The hotel is only a few blocks from downtown; however, the way back is straight uphill. Coming back and walking those last two blocks up to the hotel are a workout.

The owners of Skier’s Chalet are Don and Christine. Along with their five children, they take care of all guests. If you’re worried about having five kids underfoot, don't. The only evidence of five kids was all the bicycles parked out front.

The Skier’s Chalet offers complementary continental breakfast everyday, but if you think it’s a box of doughnuts and Folger’s coffee you are way off. They provide fresh baked breads, muffins from a local bakery and the coffee is gourmet plus all the extras like fresh cream, Coffeemate and sugar. They provide several kinds of boxed cold cereals and packets of Quaker oatmeal. There are bowls of fresh fruit and packets Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Mix. In a small refrigerator are rows of small juice bottles, milk, yogurt, and cream. Breakfast is also a chance to socialize. Don and Christine are always in the lobby and want to know everything about you. They will share with you where all the restaurants are and where they buy their fresh bread. For special occasions and events, Don and Christine host happy hours in the lobby with complementary wine, beer and crackers. When my partner and I soaked in the warm pool, Christine brought us glass after glass of red wine. We didn’t even need to get out of the pool. Talk about warm and fuzzy.

Rates for summer 2003 were $98 for 2 double beds. I’m sure winter ski season rates are higher, but still not as high as other hotels in Aspen. If you’re looking for quiet, cozy place to enjoy the high life of Aspen, stay here.

The cantina has been in Aspen for many years, but I’d never eaten there until this year. We always walked by it near the corner of Mill & Main Street and noticed all the diners on the patio, but assuming it was too expensive, never went in. Little did we know it was not too expensive as Aspen restaurants go and that patio is a great place to sit and enjoy good weather.

We ate a late lunch so it wasn’t too crowded. We asked for a table on the patio, a place where diners can leave their dogs tied up on the patio railing and outside the restaurant, but still next to their table. Before we’d even settled in our seats, we were served with chips and salsa and had our drink orders taken. Definitely a place to order Coronas. I had a Baja Taco, which is a fish taco, and Linda had two chicken tacos. Both came with side salad and rice and Linda’s had refried beans as well. We took our time eating, having lost our second game earlier that day, we had nothing else to do. We ate all the chips as well as our meals and finished our beers leisurely. The waitress didn’t hassle us. She was around when we needed her, but not hovering.

The Baja Taco was $12.95 while Linda’s two chicken tacos were $13.95. Considering we were there for over an hour and that was our only big meal for the day, it was money well spent.

Cooper Street Tavern is an Aspen institution. Located on Cooper Street, of course, it’s in the heart of downtown Aspen and with it’s open façade, you can check out the people inside while they check you.

It’s your basic bar and grill. There’s TV’s to watch the game on and bar games to play. Shuffleboard and video golf are downstairs, while a pool table and an ugly foosball table reside upstairs. Cooper isn’t a large place, but people come and go frequently so if you wait long enough, you’ll get a table. The special is the Burger and Beer. You get a 1/3 pound of hamburger with your choice of cheese, fries and a Coors Light for only $6.50. That’s cheaper than some of the appetizers. They have a full menu if you’re looking for something more than a hamburger.

I’ve been to the Cooper Street Tavern many times, but have yet to spot any celebrities. Supposedly Martina Navratalova hangs here a lot. Don’t forget to check out the 70’s photos of co-ed naked boating that decorate the walls. Coopers is a great place to hang out any time of the day or night.

Motherlode 2003 was subdued this year. The AVP tour was in Chicago that same weekend with a much higher cash prize so none of the pros I’ve seen in the past were in Aspen. That didn’t make it any less fun. Over 1000 people from as far away as Oregon and Florida showed up to play or watch volleyball. My partner, Linda, and I played in the B Division, which is the lowest. It’s not that we’re not good, but since Linda lives in Omaha and I live in Denver, we couldn’t really play or practice together so we dropped down. Also, after playing in Aspen all these years, I have discovered that sandbagging is accepted. Because the Motherlode is double elimination (after you lose your second game, you are done), lots of teams drop down a division or two just to win more games. I’ve seen collegiate athletes who’ve won NCAA Division I National Championships playing in BB Division. Fair? No, but what can you do?

Playing in B meant that we played at the recreation parks just outside of town, so we had to drive. Iselin Park and Rotary are right next to each other with the brand new Aspen Recreation Center in between. Beautiful location with Iselin Park on a hill that overlooks Rotary Park and the surrounding area (see photos). Not a lot of parking so you need to get there early. Since Colorado had much more rain this year, both parks were perfectly green and soft with grass. We played in baseball field’s outfield. There were six nets for women and around 13 for the guys. The men and women’s A Division played in Rotary Park below.

We woke up Saturday to a thunder storm and cold temperatures so we were worried. However, the rain stopped when we got to the park. The sun was starting to peak through the clouds by the time we played our first game. Linda and I won against a good team from New Mexico, 15-11. That felt so good to win. Winning the first match at the Motherlode is a must because if you lose Saturday, you are done for the day. We had an hour wait until our next game and it started to rain again so we sat in the truck. The rain stopped again before we played our second game. This game didn’t go so well. We lost 15-7 against a team from Kansas. A Colorado Springs player said our opponent should have been in the A Division, but that’s the Motherlode for ya.

Sunday was a beautiful day to play volleyball, sunny with temperatures in the low 70’s and a slight breeze. We cruised through our first game against a team Linda knew from Lincoln, Nebraska, 15-4. While we waited we watched the other matches including the first team we beat. They were playing much better and won their first match. We also watched a pair of 13-year-old girls that we heard smoked all their competition on Saturday. Two tiny girls with blond ponytails running down everything their opponents shot at them. My volleyball friend, Vicky, has a saying, "Age and treachery beats youth and enthusiasm every time." Don’t know if that would have worked on those two girls. After an hour wait for our turn in the bracket, we played a Colorado Springs team and what a tight match. We played great and were neck and neck until we tied at 9 points. Then Linda and I fell apart. Done for the tournament and it was only noon. Technically, we went 3-2 this tournament because our first match team failed to show up so we had a forfeit. I’ve had worse Motherlode tournaments. In fact, the last time Linda and I played in 1998, we went 1-2 so I can’t complain.

After our stunning defeat we headed back for town. We headed for the sand courts to watch the open teams. Three nets going simultaneously with two men and one women’s net. We watched the women’s game to see if they were really any better than us. We didn’t see any spectacular plays, but they sure were tall.

Next we walked to Rio Grande Park to see if anyone we knew was playing BB. We said hello to BB women’s director, Doug Jones. He said things were going great. He teased us for dropping to B, but couldn’t really blame us. Doug has been volunteering for the Motherlode for 16 years and he also directs men and women’s Master’s Division and sometimes the Men’s Dinosaur (50+) Division.

After long lunch and a Corona, we headed back to the hotel to watch the AVP on NBC. We were done playing volleyball, but not done watching.