Estes Park — September 5, 2009
Estes Park has long been a tourist destination. The Stanley Hotel opened in 1909 and was built at at a cost of half a million dollars. The publicity from the hotel’s construction resulted in a boom for the fledgling resort industry.
My first visit to Estes Park was in 1957, on an camping trip with my grandparents and uncle. I was 5 years old and don’t really remember much of the trip. The next time I visited was in the early 90s with my wife and two daughters.
While the town doesn’t seem to have changed much since that visit, it underwent a major reconstruction after it was heavily damaged from flood waters caused by the 1982 collapse of a man-made dam in Rocky Mountain National Park.
We spent most of Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend exploring the arts and craft fair and the shops in town. Besides ice cream, we each bought a hat and Karen got a new purse as an early birthday present.
(click on any of the following photos to view a larger image.)
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Commentary and images from the road
image and information from September 5, 2009
This post is being simultaneously published on Exit78 and Haw Creek Out ‘n About.
