A Long Weekend In The Rocky Mountains - Part 2 April 2012

[Judy in Texas 150]

Part 2 for April 2012 starts on Page 4. Thanks!

My friend Joyce and I had a few days off at the same time so we decided to fly to Denver, rent a car, and visit The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. If you are fans of the TV show "Ghost Hunters" and/or Stephen King's book/movie/TV mini-series "The Shining", you know that this fine old hotel is supposed to be haunted. We wanted to find out.

Well... we took one look at the prices to stay there and decided one night would do. We made reservations to stay the first two nights at The Winter Park Mountain Lodge and then the last night at The Stanley.

We flew out of DFW last Saturday morning (8/13/11) and knew it would be a good trip because it was RAINING!!! We hadn't had measurable rain since June and with the temps over 100 degrees for more than 40 days in a row, the rain was a good omen.

We arrived in Denver, picked up the rental car and headed out.

We found I-70 westbound and one of the first interesting sites we saw was the Purina Puppy Chow factory. (It doesn't take much to make me smile.) Oh, if Miss Dora the Beagle were still alive she would have been able to smell it a mile away!

Then we start getting in the mountains:

I love tunnels:

We find US 40 and head north toward Winter Park. Denver is at 5,280 feet and Winter Park Village is at 9,000 feet so we have a good bit of up hill with lots of switchbacks ahead of us. All the sudden coming at us is this:

Really? In the Rocky Mountains where the wind can pick up at a moment's notice and there are places where the roads have no shoulders or guardrails?

Several emergency vehicles pass us going the opposite direction. Help is on the way but how quickly it can get there is a whole 'nother story:

Here's Winter Park Resort (the town is up the road a bit) and our hotel is on the right:

[stefa70 205]

Judy I'm so excited!! Love The Shining, and saw Ghost Hunters when they visited. Can't wait to hear your experiences. :suspense:

Beautiful pics of the mountains.

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Redrum

[Judy in Texas 150]

Judy I'm so excited!! Love The Shining, and saw Ghost Hunters when they visited. Can't wait to hear your experiences. :suspense:

Beautiful pics of the mountains.

Thanks! If you are ever in that area the hotel has several tours you can take. The Ghost and History Tour and Concert Hall Tour as a package were only $20. Together they lasted 2 1/2 hours and were well worth the $$.

(I have to figure out Multi-quote.)

Redrum

More on that later... :-X

[Judy in Texas 150]

Winter Park Resort is a village that surrounds the ski area. You park on the south side and take the tramway across to the village itself.

It was pretty quiet while we were there. Most everything closed at 6:00 PM:

You may not be able to take your drink inside but your dog is welcome, even on the restaurant patios. Dog cleanup stations are located throughout the area:

Flowers are EVERYWHERE and there are crews of people whose job it is to maintain them:

They have a store - visualize the trading posts at The Fort - what caters to the folks who are there for a few days and may have forgotten something. I guess it says something about the folks who are there on a regular basis that most of the food items weren't marked. I guess if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

In the summer the lifts run from 10:00 AM until about 5:00 PM. You can buy single, 1/2 day and full day tickets. What can you do in the summer at a ski resort?

You and your bike can ride up the chair lift and there are multiple dirt bike trails labeled Green, Blue and Black just like the ski runs. How do you get your bike on the ski lift? They take about every 3rd chair off and put on a modified chair that will hold a bike. No, they do not stop the lift while you load your bike:

Here's someone coming down:

I thought mountain biking would be more of a guy thing... late teens and 20's. I was surprised at the number of older men and women who were dressed all up in their mud-spattered safety gear walking around the resort.

I'm not a mountain bike person, but they have an ALPINE SLIDE!!!! For those of you who are not acquainted with the Alpine Slide, it is a cement trough that snakes its way down the mountain and you ride down on a small sled. Yes, you have a hand brake that is very efficient.

I'm riding up the chair lift and the Alpine slide is below:

You know when you get to the top of the ski lift and you get ready to plant your skis on the ramp and get out of the way of the people coming up behind you? In the summer, no skis, so they start letting you know in advance to get ready to move to the side quicky. We are approaching the top... note the yellow sleds that have been riding up the lift on the sides of the chairs:

I'm next!! I choose the left (slow) side. I saw those young (some not so young) whippersnappers going down on the fast side. One guy lost control and left a good bit of hide on the track.

Here I go!

I had to twist Joyce's arm a bit to try this... I pointed out that kids 6 years and older must ride alone so it couldn't be THAT dangerous. Note the smile on her face as she reaches the bottom.

She was the first to say THAT'S FUN... LET'S DO IT AGAIN!

I had seen "Moffet Tunnel" listed on the maps and I had no clue what it was... It's an active train tunnel built in the 1920's to expand train service westward to/from Denver. Trains run regularly throughout the day and night. It is within maybe 200 yards of the bottom of the lift that services the Alpine Slide. We saw one Amtrac train. It would be so cool to take the train through the mountains.

[polkadotsuitcase 12]

Gorgeous!

My writing buddy moved back to CO a couple years ago, and she's been trying to entice me out there to visit. It looks just beautiful -- looking forward to the rest of your TR!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hey Judy!

Great start!

I've been to Winter Park to ski, but never in the summer.

Your photos are great!

I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your story.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

More on that later... :-X

Oh the suspense is killing me!!! I don't care how many times I've seen that movie, it still freaks me out, and I LOVE that.

DH gets so mad that I will watch all the creepy stuff, then I will turn every light in the house on, and make him go pee with me because I'm scared to walk down the hallway. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment!

The Mt. biking looks like a blast! And if mud is involved, I'm definitely in. Not sure I could do the sled thing?

I'm so jealous right now! I believe your last TR was the NASCAR hall of fame? You're one lucky lady!

[Judy in Texas 150]

Oh the suspense is killing me!!! I don't care how many times I've seen that movie, it still freaks me out, and I LOVE that.

DH gets so mad that I will watch all the creepy stuff, then I will turn every light in the house on, and make him go pee with me because I'm scared to walk down the hallway. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment!

The Mt. biking looks like a blast! And if mud is involved, I'm definitely in. Not sure I could do the sled thing?

I'm so jealous right now! I believe your last TR was the NASCAR hall of fame? You're one lucky lady!

Patience, my dear. We're only on Saturday afternoon and Joyce and I didn't get to The Stanley till Monday... I'll tell you now, though, it was worth every penny!

[Judy in Texas 150]

Gorgeous!

My writing buddy moved back to CO a couple years ago, and she's been trying to entice me out there to visit. It looks just beautiful -- looking forward to the rest of your TR!

Colorado is beautiful and has something for everyone. I'm sure you would enjoy it. I hope you have the time, etc to visit her. :D

[Judy in Texas 150]

Day two...

Joyce and I want to get 1/2 day passes to ride the Alpine Slide a few more times and then she wants to take the main lift up and walk down... it only (and I say only) takes about 90 minutes to walk down and it's all down hill. Why she wants to walk down when there is a perfectly good slide, I don't know.

Since we are both morning people, we decide to get up early and head into Rocky Mountain National Park and get the 1/2 day afternoon tickets.

As we are heading north, we see a hot air balloon:

There are several lakes with some mighty fine houses/boats along the way:

We see the Stillwater Campground on Lake Granby:

It was full and, being that it was morning, the smell of fried bacon was in the air:

As you can see, there wasn't any shade but the lake was on 3 sides of the campground and most everyone had wonderful views.

Here is the link if you would like more information:

http://campincolorado.com/federal/arapaho_roosevelt_nf/stillwater/stillwater.html

Right before we get to the park we see a sign for a National Park resort. We decide to pass it by and visit it tomorrow when we are heading toward Estes Park.

We stop to take a picture of the entrance sign:

We stop at the ranger station to get our National Park Passport stamps. If you don't know what the National Parks Passports are, check out this link

We saw quite a few dead trees and asked about them. There is a pine beetle that is killing all the lodge pole pines. It is really quite sad but part of nature. These trees at the ranger station with the blue dots have been sprayed:

Primarily on the western side of the park where the beetles have done the most damage, dead trees have been cleared back from the road so they won't fall on the cars. When winter comes, the piles of wood will be burned:

Timbercreek Campground is just up the road. Very few trees are left. I assume the dead ones have all been removed to eliminate the liability should one fall one someone or something:

This belongs to the park host:

For more information, click this link

We head up toward the Alpine Visitors Center. The 5 switchbacks are numbered. Not sure why:

Views along the way:

We stop at Milner Pass to get a picture of the Continental Divide sign:

The volunteer ranger tells us that he gets a free campsite for the summer for volunteering. We later learn that you are required to give 37 hours a week to qualify for the free site.

Poudre Lake:

Looking out across the mountains, you can see just how many trees have been killed by the beetles:

We make it to the Alpine Visitors Center. The roof has been reinforced because of the heavy snows:

Looking out the gift store window:

Weather station in the Ranger Station. 49 degrees on August 14th with snow due any day.

As we start back down to Winter Park, we see a Jeep Wranger towing a camper nearing the Visitors Center. If you look toward the top of the mountain, you will see the road we were just on. Notice there are no shoulders and no guardrails. Oh my...

We stop at Lake Irene:

Then we see this:

Joyce says it is either a Moose-jam or a Bear-Jam. Moose-jam it is:

As with all things fun, life gets in the way.

I must mow the yard before it gets any hotter. It's already 98 degrees.

Later...

[polkadotsuitcase 12]

Absolutely breathtaking scenery!

...but bad beetles!

That slide looks phenomenal. My guys would LOVE to try that. (Hmm...another reason to add to the "must visit CO" list.)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Judy-

Your photos are stunning! Thanks so much for posting this report.

I can't believe how much damage has been done by those beetles. It will take a long time for trees to grow back. What a shame.

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Just beautiful Judy. Thanks for taking this trip and sharing it with us :banana:

[stefa70 205]

Wow, those pictures of the mountain are beautiful!

37 hours a week for a free campsite? Holy Cow! That's more expensive than the fort. Do you know what the "job" entails?

It's a shame that you don't live closer, I would send DH out to mow your lawn so you could keep moving along with this TR!

[Judy in Texas 150]

37 hours a week for a free campsite? Holy Cow! That's more expensive than the fort. Do you know what the "job" entails?

Check out this link.'

You can search for volunteer opportunities by topic, state, zip code. I wonder if couples can work and pool their hours?

Judy-

Your photos are stunning! Thanks so much for posting this report.

I can't believe how much damage has been done by those beetles. It will take a long time for trees to grow back. What a shame.

TCD

Thanks! One good thing about the beetles is that the spruce and aspens will have an opportunity to thrive in an environment where the lodge pole pines have been forcing them out.

[Judy in Texas 150]

OK, back to the afternoon of day two. It's Sunday August 14th...

We're back at the hotel to change clothes - we no longer need the longsleeve shirts and jackets. We notice that there are clouds building to the southwest. Not good.

We decide to wait until the rain passes before we head over to the resort area.

OK... the rain's over but it's after 3:00 so we don't have enough time to make a 1/2 day pass worth the $$. We'll have enough time to ride the Alpine Slide again; but, we'll have to cancel the hike down the mountain. ( :banana: )

Look at all the mountain bikers waiting for the chair lift to open back up:

Yep... Joyce had even more fun this time:

I hear a train coming so I hurry over to catch a glimpse of coal cars entering the tunnel:

It's time for a drink. We've been playing hard. Nice view from the patio:

Day two is about over. Hotel Review...

The Winter Park Mountain Lodge was adequate at best. It looked "tired". The carpet needed to be stretched, and in some places replaced. We took a quick tour through the pool area and Joyce said the hot tub had green slime in the bottom. I choose not to look. I couldn't get over that the family changing room at the pool had a glass block wall and there were several vertical rows of clear blocks! I'm talking those +/- 6 inch square glass blocks that are usually frosted. I have no clue who made the decision to put in clear blocks but he/she gets an F.

On to day 3...

[stefa70 205]

Check out this link.'

You can search for volunteer opportunities by topic, state, zip code. I wonder if couples can work and pool their hours?

SO I checked it out. Yes, couples can work, but it doesn't say if you could pool the hours. The "jobs" range from giving information (sometimes in period clothing)to computer work to repairing and building boardwalks & cabinets. God bless the people who can:

1. afford to volunteer

2. Want to do some of that work for free (37 hrs. worth)

I bet it is an amazing experience for the people who do it.

Interesting info. Thanks!

Loving the report.

[Judy in Texas 150]

Day 3. Monday August 15th. Guess where we're headed. The Stanley Hotel!

We're up early had head back north on Rt 40 and on to Trail Ridge Road through the park like we did yesterday.

Our first stop is The Grand Lake Lodge at the south entrance to the park. We pull in the long drive and the damage the beetles have done is quickly evident:

These vintage cars add an air of nostalgia to the place.

This is the lodge's wedding chapel. I undertand that the lodge pole pines used surround the chapel:

Isn't the front porch inviting?

The main room in the lodge has a gigantic fireplace with a variety of rustic seating. I've never seen an indoor wood swing:

Plaque in the garden:

A moose family. No Moose-jam today since it is early. Papa Moose was too quick and I didn't get his picture.

I think this is Momma:

This is Junior:

Joyce would like to hike the Appalechian trail some day so she knew all about the Continental Divide trail. Here is where it crosses the road were were on.

We are at the turn out for the Bowen/Baker Trail. This is the Colorado River in its infancy. The ranger said it filled the valley during the spring runoff.

OK... people are lining up along the road again, cameras ready. This time it's a herd of elk. I count 8:

OK... we're back up above tree line again:

I've never seen a Tiger camper.

More people stopping at Gore Range. Altitude about 12,183 feet.

This area is tundra and most of the vegetation is slow growing and low to the ground:

Here are a couple fuzzy marmots:

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

:popcorn: I've been in the Rockies ... incredibly rough terrain ... can't imagine taking an RV there!

[Judy in Texas 150]

:popcorn: I've been in the Rockies ... incredibly rough terrain ... can't imagine taking an RV there!

Agreed. That's probably why the tent campers far outnumbered the trailer/RV campers.

Alpenglen Campground is near the Fall River Visitor Center. A bit of beetle damage but not nearly as much as on the west side of the park:

We stopped to take pictures of the Fall River...

...and a trail ride comes by:

It's a Monday and the traffic is backed up at the Fall River park entrance:

The visitors center is quite nice:

A family of swallows live near the front door:

Dad is standing guard:

On to Estes Park for lunch. Another dog friendly town. Food and Drinks not allowed but your dog is:

It's a beautiful town:

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

Beautiful! My wife and I visited a lot of these places about 8 yrs ago during the summer. Although, I prefer to visit the west in the winter, it is equally nice in the summer.

[Judy in Texas 150]

If you aren't into Ghost Hunters or Stephen King's The Shining, you will probably want to skip the next few posts. I have two more campground reviews that I will be posting in the Tuesday AM section. Catch up with me there...

We arrive at The Stanley Hotel between 2:00 and 2:30.

Check in isn't till 4:00 but we hope we can check in early since we have reservations for the 4:40 Ghost and History Tour and the 6:00 Concert Hall Tour.

Wrong.

The room might be ready in 10-15 minutes so we decide to walk around and take some pictures. Up till now in this trip report, I took all the pictures. From here on out it will be a mixture of mine and Joyce's. Most of her Stanley pictures are much more interesting than mine.

We head downstairs to see where we check in for the tours and pass this dollhouse:

We walk around the corner and there is the office of Madame Vera, The Stanley's resident psychic... and she has time to give both of us readings. Why not! Very interesting. I'm not going to bore you with the details; but, she is very good.

Let's go back up to see if the room is ready.

No? We wait some more.

A porter kept coming by to check on us. It's 4:00 and we are still waiting. So much for the 4:00 guarantee.

The porter whispers to us that room 217 is still available. Is he responsible for upselling the main rooms (217 and 401) that they like to hold back until after the last tour? Once a room is reserved the tours are not allowed in them. I don't know but we decided to check it out.

Yes, 217 is still available. It already cost us each an arm and a leg to get the reservation in the Manor House and it is going to cost us the other arm and leg and then some to stay in 217. Joyce and I looked at each other and said "Why Not?" If we don't do this we will always regret it, so 217 it is! (For those of you who aren't familiar with The Stanley Hotel, 217 is the room Stephen King was staying in when he got the inspiration for The Shining. Jim Carey checked into 217 when he was making Dumb and Dumber. He stayed 3 hours and demanded that his chauffeur come pick him up and take him to another hotel, so the story goes.)

OK... We get the keys at 4:25 but we have to be downstairs at 4:30 to check in for the Ghost and History tour. No time to go to the room. Bummer.

Toya is our tour guide. I was a little put off at first when she said told us to follow her with no introduction... off we go... outside, up the stairs to the Pinon Billiards room. This is when Toya comes alive. She is a young black woman who just graduated from college. She can play all the characters she is telling us about and makes us believe....

We get the history of the Stanley's... twin brothers F.O. and F.E. How they may be known for the Stanley Steamer automobile, but they actually made their money by inventing photographic plates. They sold the process to Eastman, of Eastman/Kodak. This allowed them then to do what they wanted the rest of their lives.

F.O. Stanley had tuberculosis and his doctor recommended that he spend some time in Colorado. The stay in Denver didn't help because of the polluted air. He then stayed at a ranch outside Estes Park where he started to get better.

F.O.'s wife, Flora, was used to east coast high society and became very bored. F.O. purchased 160 acres from Lord Dunraven (remember this name) and built her The Stanley so her friends could come visit.

We move on to the Music Room. The grand piano on the stage was Flora's. John Philips Sousa played it opening day and came back many summers there after.

(Compare the picture of the Music Room (above) to the McGreagor Room (below). Note that the Music Room is mostly white and the same parts of the McGreagor Room are faux painted to look like wood. Stephen King had that done for "The Shining" TV mini-series.)

Then we visit the McGreagor Room where we learn about the ghost of room 217, which is directly above it. In the hotel's early days, Elizabeth Wilson was the head housekeeper and 217 was The Presidential Suite. She was in 217 when she tried to light a gas lamp but there was a leak (this was before the odor was added to gas to make leaks more detectable.) There was a big explosion, Elizabeth and everything that was in 217 fell into the McGreagor Room. She was badly hurt; but, the Stanley's made sure she was nursed back to health and offered her a job for as long as she wanted. Here are several pictures of the McGreagor Room:

Now we are off to 217. The tour group can't go in because we have it reserved; but, I take out one of the two keys and open the room so everyone can take a peak. This is the first time Joyce and I have seen it, too. I step inside about 3 feet, Joyce steps in a bit further, but we have to close it back up and move on with the tour. I put the key back in the folder with the other key, put in back in my purse (remember this) and move on to the 4th floor.

The 4th floor is where all the childen and nannies stayed. 401 was the nannies breakroom. Lord Dunraven (the original owner of the property) is supposed to haunt this room. The story goes that he was a lady's man and still likes to touch the ladies who stay in the room. This is the room where Jason of The Ghost Hunters had a glass break.

Right near 401 are steps, really more like a ladder, up to the bell tower. At the very top of the stairs, someone has written REDRUM on the door. Funny!

Now we are off to the basement tunnels. We hear all about how The Ghost Hunters explored the tunnels.

There is still part of a tree that once grew in this area. Two orbs? Weird:

The wiring is very old.

What's up with this picture? It's in focus. What could cause the red streak?

Here is an opening to a tunnel. The rock near the base of the piping is creepy. Sort of looks like a face? Maybe? How many orbs do you see?

Joyce taking a picture of me, taking a picture up the tunnel. There are some orbs in this picture, too:

The tour is over and we have 20 minutes to grab our luggage from the car, put it in the room, and get back to the basement tour office for the Concert Hall Tour. When we get to the door of 217, I have ONE KEY, not two. Shoot. We drop the bags right inside the door and head to the basement tour office.

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

Don't leave me hanging!!

[Judy in Texas 150]

While we wait for the Concert Hall tour to begin, I search my purse and pockets, Joyce also checks my purse, still only one key.

The next tour starts and the leader Connor takes us two buildings over to the Concert Hall.

He tells us the history of the building... another piano that John Philips Souse, Lawence Welk, etc used to play.

Off we go to the basement.

We go into the Lady's restroom. We hear more stories. Lucy was a young lady in the 1970's when The Stanley was in disrepair. She had been squatting in The Concert Hall and was forced to leave. She later died of hypothermia outside the building. Lucy is supposed to like the second stall from the right. Look what showed up on the picture:

We go to Lucy's room:

It's funny that they have a mock up of the Room 217 door in Lucy's room. We took turns taking pictures of each other putting out heads through the hole.

Here I am:

Here's Joyce:

As Connor is telling us all about what happens in the room, the door closes. Well.. that's interesting. We all stand there and look at it. I ask if I can open it back up. I walk over and open the door. I move it back and forth to find a place where the bottom of the door gently touches the carpet. It shouldn't close by itself again. Wrong! About two minutes later it closes again. This time it latches!

Wow! That's so cool!

The tour is over... we head back to the hotel, to room 217, to unpack and maybe pick up a second key from the main desk.

Guess what! I walk into our bathroom and there sits a key beside the sink! No $h!t! How did it get there? Neither of us had been in the bathroom up until then. Oh, I wish I had thought to take a picture!

That's all this post. The next installment will be our late night wanderings.