Estes Park

It has been great to see my friends here in Estes Park. I’m visiting them for just two nights. I worked with them many years ago - 1983 to be exact! I haven’t seen them in at least 10 years.

Bonnie and I went for a walk around Lilly Lake which is just out of town and just inside Rocky Mountain National Park. It was grey and clouds were looming. We finished the walk just as it started to rain! I usually love clouds in pictures but it was so dark I couldn’t get many good shots.

We then went to the historic Baldpate Inn for lunch. The quirky salad bar set up is in the centre of the Extra photo. The hotel is named for the mystery novel The Seven Keys Of Baldpate Inn which was adapted into a play and seven different movies. The torrential downpour arrived while we were eating and I was glad we were safe inside, although I would have loved to have been sitting in a rocking chair on the veranda to watch the rain. The Inn is also known for its vast collection of over 20,000 keys from around the world. It even has a key from an early United Airlines plane! It was fascinating to look at them all!

We also drove through town and I was shocked to see how much it has changed in recent years! I’d love to come back in a quieter period - it was heaving with tourists today!