Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Haunted Stanley

Yesterday (Monday) we went on a little trip to Estes Park where the Stanley Hotel is located.  The Stanley Hotel is famous for the book by Stephen King and the move "The Shining".  This is a side entrance but it is a gorgeous old building.   I would like to stay there some time.  It is on my bucket list along with the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.  The inside of the hotel looks as it did a century ago and it is beautiful.   They are famous for their ghost sightings and my friend Gordy has seen two on a previous trip.  I was hoping to bump into one but no such luck for me.  The views from the hotel are stunning.  It is on a hill and everything is just so beautiful.  Even in a snow storm.

Before we ventured up to the Stanley, we had lunch and hit some shops in downtown Estes Park.  We ate at the Grubstake and I bought a hooded sweatshirt at one of the shops.  I told the lady to cut the tags off and skip the bag because I wanted to wear it.  (It was about 20 degrees and I needed something warm under my jacket.)  So as I was trying to zip up the sweatshirt I couldn't get the zipper to line up right.  I made a comment and the sales lady came around the counter and said "Honey, you are zipping it up to the wrong zipper."  I was trying to zip the sweatshirt with my jacket zipper.  I had an outburst and said "I'm such a retard."  That made everyone laugh.  Well everyone except Bentley. 

Bentley is my girlfriend's dog.  He is a champion Miniature Schnauzer and he is beautiful.  He's also the most laid back dog I've ever met.  I'm sure he doesn't like me but Debbie said that is just how he is and he does like me.  Bentley went with us yesterday on our adventure. 

We decided to not head into Rocky Mountain National Park but to head home because it was starting to get dark and with the snow it was getting a little icy in spots.  But on the way back we stopped at a house along the Big Thompson River that Debbie is trying to sell to one of her clients.  This place was a dump but the location was oh so beautiful.  The scenery was stunning and we got to see some beaver work up close.  The beavers have selected this spot as a place to build a dam and they are very busy cutting down aspens.  It was very fastinating to get up close to the trees and take a good look at how beavers operate.