Things that go bump during the day

10 July 2007

192

R. Linda:

Well, I must say that after the ghost tour, my enthusiasm for haunted happenings dissipated rather rapidly. The wedding had moved down to the concert hall (a building next to the old gents' quarters), and I ended up back in Estes Park proper for a cup of coffee (the hotel served only strong French stuff), so the search for a Starbucks was on. When I returned, the wedding reception was in full swing and had poured out of the concert hall (a rather large building) and onto the terrace. The very terrace under my window.

I decided to go back to the cupola steps and take a few pix to see if I got anything spooky (I did not), and the non-existent clock chimed eleven, and I was so out of there. The bar was overflowing with wedding guests as well and it was wall-to-wall people, so I decided to retire early.

That night, the wedding rowdiness continued until 12:40 a.m. Needless to say, I was pissed. I even heard a child shout from a window below mine, "Can you please be quiet? I am trying to sleep!" There was a moment of silence, then a burst of laughter and we were back to loud, boisterousness. I think it ended somewhere around 1 a.m. It was also hot,  so I couldn't close me window without making meself totally uncomfortable. As it was, I was sweaty, irritated and knackered.

The next day, I met up with my associate, and we took a side trip to the Rocky Mountain meadows, glaciers and valleys. We even got a clear shot of an elk (though he stuck his head in the water when I clicked, so had to reshoot) in the river beside the highway of all places, and spent the morning and part of the afternoon enjoying lower elevation scenery. We debated renting horses and going on a trail ride, but the rides were all day, and we did not want to do all day. We ended up back in Estes Park for an authentic Mexican meal (yeah more tamales, can't get enough). Our waitress was a skinny young thing with golden brown hair, light sparkly eyes and an accent I couldn't understand a word of. I ordered a guava margarita, and we had trouble with what guava was. She was from Lithuania and was in this country until October, when she must return to her homeland. She loves it here and likes the fact she can travel without a visa or passport from one State to the next or one city to the next. People have been nice to her and she wishes her parents could be here too. This country has so much, she told me. I'd have adopted her, but for the language thing. When people from other countries find out I be from someplace else they will spill the beans if they like America or not. She knew I was not from here, but she loved it. I was the one she talked to, and I was the one that couldn't understand her. Thank God for my associate, or I would be sitting there smiling at her, nodding like an idiot.

The elk in the river

The restaurant was hot and like everywhere we went, no air conditioning. Folks are green-minded, and while I understand that, I was damn miserable, dry heat instead of steam, but still miserable.

We returned to the Stanley afterwards and were stunned that four weddings were about to occur. One was in the MacGregor Room, one at the concert hall, one in Flora's piano room (which is a very large room), one on the terrace (we prayed they'd be done before 10 p.m.) and yet another to take place later and I had no clue where the reception was to be. Now, here is the thing, on the left of the hotel facing it are two small buildings that serve as "dorm rooms" for some of the staff. I am not sure what that means unless there are people interning in hotel management living there. Next to this is the hotel, and in front of the hotel are the pool area and the stables (not in use). Next to the main hotel is another min-hotel, the Gents Quarters, also known as the Manor House, and next to that, the plantation-looking concert hall. Then, away from there is a boarded-up building, which is said to be haunted, thus too spooky to keep open. That was the old ice house, a rather long and large building. The Manor House was built by F.O. Stanley to house the single men who came to stay there. Victorian etiquette dictated that the single men were to be kept separate from the married women and nannies (nannies' rooms were on the 4th floor), so they had a hotel of their own. Today, it is the "newer" Stanley a mini version without a cupola that if you can't get a room in the older building, that's where they put you. It is supposed to be more haunted than the old hotel. I never went in, so I don't know.

Shot of the hotel and outbuildings

There were children (a lot of them) running amuck everywhere. It was more chaotic than the day before, and any spooky atmosphere was dead. UNTIL we decided to go up to my room since we couldn't hear each other over the din and determine what we felt like doing for dinner. We got into the "lift" to go on up when a young girl stepped in with us. Another young girl looked up at us and said, "Please make sure she gets to the fourth floor." OK.

The liftgate closed, the shining brass doors slid shut, and the little girl said, "I love it here. I never want to leave." We looked at her, smiled indulgently and said, "That's nice." The third floor came up, we got off, and she continued up. Never gave it another thought. I know what you're thinking MEN they never do what they are told.

Later, my associate decided to go down to the verandah to read about the hotel from a book he purchased. I stayed up in the room to get in a quick nap before dinner since I hadn't slept for two nights, giving him another key so when he was ready, he could come up and fetch me. It was 4 p.m. when I got meself together and realised I was very thirsty, and an iced tea or lemonade would be lovely. I went down to the lobby, and the gift shop was open, so I went in and bought a few items, forgetting my thirst. I decided to take the items back up to the room, and as I was heading for the lift, I spotted my associate sitting on the verandah reading. I figured I'd drop off the purchases and come back down. The lift area was crowded with people waiting, so I walked up the main staircase. Sitting under the big window was a figure I could hardly make out because of the sunlight streaming in at me. As I walked up, the other little girl sat quite still, staring into space. I said to her, "Hi there, did you meet your friend on the 4th?" She looked at me expressionless and said nothing, then the sunlight vanished as I got closer, and so did she!

FREAKED ME OUT IT DID. I looked around, no one but me; I found myself on the second floor and couldn't breathe to save my life. I thought I was having a heart attack. I walked down the hall to the right-side staircase, and as I did, I came upon an open door at the end of the hall. There, I saw two bridesmaids dressed entirely in black strapless gowns, one stomping on the other's gown to pull her dress down. It was malicious, not being done in fun, and they were at each other's gowns trying to not only expose each other but rip the dresses! I was shocked, quite frankly, and kept on going. It was bizarre. I totally forgot the child under the window. It made me think of the scene in the first Shining flick when Wendy comes upon the two men in the room. One had a pig mask on, and the other was a dignified sort, but you know what they were doing wasn't.

I got back to my room, put the bag down and decided right then and there I was not staying in the room. I was too confused and stunned, so I left for the verandah. I got back there and there was no one in the rocking chair. Me mate was nowhere to be seen. So, I got back up the stairs, no child sitting under the window this time, and instead of going down the hall to where the bridesmaids were, I went to the left staircase and up. I returned to my room, and the bathroom door was closed, and I thought oh he's here. I said, "I be so glad you're here. I went looking for you, and you were gone." No answer. I say, "Are you in there?" No answer. I say, "Are you alright?" No answer. I say, "OK," and I sit on the bed waiting, thinking maybe he can't hear me.

Just as I settled back, the door to me room opened, and in came me associate. I jumped up, and he was like, WHAT? I said, "If you're here, then who is in there?" I explained what happened, and he opened the door, but no one was there. I did not close the bathroom door. I hadn't even been in it. He had gone from the verandah to the car to get a map, never coming to the room to fetch me until then. I asked him if he'd seen the two girls; no, he hadn't since the lift. I did not tell him what I saw on the landing, but I did tell him about the bridesmaids. We looked out the window, and bridesmaids were on the terrace in lipstick-red gowns. He said the other four sets were dressed, one group in flowered dresses, another in dark green, one in a salmon colour and the other in cream with blue flowers. He said he noticed all this because, on his way in from the verandah, the wedding parties congregated in the front lobby, making it hard to get by. He did not see anyone dressed in black.

I know what I saw and what I heard. We walked past that room next to (214), and the door was opened, a crack, no sounds. I peeked in; it looked like a storage room, but it had been open and was a messy bedroom when I looked past the fighting girls.

This is a busy, very busy place, noisy, lots of people, yet bizarre things happen despite it all. We ended up in the bar ordering lemonade -- $24.00 for two lemonades and for that price, I should have ordered something stronger, but I was so parched I wanted something I could down. I don't know, but the rain came that night, lightning and thunder. It was quiet and cool for the first night since we arrived, EXCEPT for the music that played until 11:30 p.m. in the MacGregor Room, or was it the piano room?

Gabe

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