Monday, September 20, 2010

The Baldpate Inn

I love getting away for a few days, don't you? I just got back from a weeklong visit with my sister in Colorado. We spent most of our week in Estes Park and it is so beautiful up there this time of year. The days were warm, the nights cool. We had the opportunity to eat at a couple of fun restaurants and see the wildlife -- majestic elk and magnificent deer.

On our way down the mountain, we stopped at a lovely old inn called The Baldpate Inn. It's about seven miles south of Estes Park on the way to Lyons. What a beautiful bed and breakfast. It's nestled in the mountains with wonderful views of the aspens turning yellow amidst the tall pines and red mountains. They offer a lunch of crisp salad, delicious homemade soup and hot muffins. If you're lucky, you'll get seated on the covered porch and can enjoy the mountain views while you dine. Our waiter was a young man from Turkey, here on a visit for three months to learn the language, visit the United States, and work for most of the summer.

The Baldpate Inn is home to one of the largest key collections and it was so interesting to see. In the old days, they used to give out keys to their guests but that became unpractical so now people bring them keys -- safe keys, keys to cities, boat keys, house keys, keys of all shapes and sizes. You could spend hours reading about the keys on display.

I love visiting places like this that are unique. I have to admit it got my writing juices flowing, ideas started being crafted for a new storyYou might even recognize some of the sights I saw while in the mountains of Colorado, Estes Park and who knows, even the Baldpate Inn.