Ghosts

A rainy afternoon in Rocky Mountain National Park found us having a long, leisurely lunch at the stately old Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. Little did we know we would be brushing elbows with a Hollywood celebrity!

This famous hotel was built in 1909 by Freelan Stanley, of Stanley Steamer auto fame.

Through its history, it has welcomed famous guests such as John Philip Sousa and Teddy Roosevelt. But more recently, after a visit, Steven King used The Stanley as the setting for his thriller "The Shining. "

The mini series by the same name was filmed here. Of course, the movie was a memorable highlight of Jack Nicholson's career and so he returns  to The Stanley from time to time, as you can see from my photo!!  

But "The Shining" may have been based as much in reality as in King's imagination.

Reports of ghosts are frequent and common. Hotel guests see apparitions of a young woman and hear children running and playing in upper floors that are now used only for storage. Employees regularly hear sounds of party revelry and piano playing from the ballroom only to look in and find the room empty.

Representatives from the SciFi Channel's "Ghost Hunters" came to investigate. They said many of the occurrences were inexplicable.

The Hotel gives tours showing where the paranormal activities usually take place. I happened to talk to someone who'd been on one.

While I was getting a manicure at the hotel's day spa (Hey!  This is just a road trip. No need to lose sight of a girl's priorities!), I struck up a conversation with a woman who had taken one of the tours with her family.

She claimed several of her tour photos showed lighted "orbs" floating in the image, as did her daughter's. But the same photos by her husband turned out "normal. "

I was happy to leave having experienced only a brush with celebrity and nice nails!