Colorado Bound
May 09, 2022 by Brigids Gate Press
We’re counting down the hours to Spirited Giving at The Stanley and the Bram Stoker Awards.
We’re excited to meet people face to face and attend the events (and buy a few books).
But for us, there’s more to it.
The two places we are happiest are on the open road or on a ship. We love to travel and there is something in the constant movement that lulls us into a state where creativity is high. We experienced a small reminder of this when we went to Joplin to see Dacre Stoker’s presentation at the university there. Until that trip, we hadn’t traveled since 2019, which is a long time for us, so we are ready to hit the high plains and follow them out to the mountains.
For most of my childhood we went to Colorado at least once a year, sometimes twice.
I spent my senior year living on the Western slope. Of all the places I’ve been, Estes Park is my favorite. As an adult, I found myself back in Colorado more than I expected, especially once I was married. We’ve been to Estes Park several times since our son was born and we always stay at The Stanley.
My first memory of The Stanley Hotel may or may not be from the first time I was there. It was a trip that in my memory was taken on a whim with my mother and sister. My sister and I were in late grade school/early middle school. I remember being enchanted with the lobby. After some hiking and lunch, we hit a used bookstore to pick up some night time reading. My mother read to us every night. We each found a few books and my mother was especially thrilled to find a well-loved copy of The Shining. My mother had read us The Eyes of the Dragon and I had read Night Shift the summer before, so we weren’t strangers to Stephen King.
On the way back to The Stanley, she told us the story of how King’s stay at the Stanley is what inspired him to write The Shining and that you could stay in the room he stayed in. We stayed in another room, but got to tour it. My mother read long into the night. We spent the next few days exploring the grounds, the Rocky Mountain National Park, the town, but mostly we spent it reading The Shining. Every time we pull into The Stanley, I get that feeling again. You know the one. Like you’re returning to the best part of yourself.
HV
We’re excited to meet people face to face and attend the events (and buy a few books).
But for us, there’s more to it.
The two places we are happiest are on the open road or on a ship. We love to travel and there is something in the constant movement that lulls us into a state where creativity is high. We experienced a small reminder of this when we went to Joplin to see Dacre Stoker’s presentation at the university there. Until that trip, we hadn’t traveled since 2019, which is a long time for us, so we are ready to hit the high plains and follow them out to the mountains.
For most of my childhood we went to Colorado at least once a year, sometimes twice.
I spent my senior year living on the Western slope. Of all the places I’ve been, Estes Park is my favorite. As an adult, I found myself back in Colorado more than I expected, especially once I was married. We’ve been to Estes Park several times since our son was born and we always stay at The Stanley.
My first memory of The Stanley Hotel may or may not be from the first time I was there. It was a trip that in my memory was taken on a whim with my mother and sister. My sister and I were in late grade school/early middle school. I remember being enchanted with the lobby. After some hiking and lunch, we hit a used bookstore to pick up some night time reading. My mother read to us every night. We each found a few books and my mother was especially thrilled to find a well-loved copy of The Shining. My mother had read us The Eyes of the Dragon and I had read Night Shift the summer before, so we weren’t strangers to Stephen King.
On the way back to The Stanley, she told us the story of how King’s stay at the Stanley is what inspired him to write The Shining and that you could stay in the room he stayed in. We stayed in another room, but got to tour it. My mother read long into the night. We spent the next few days exploring the grounds, the Rocky Mountain National Park, the town, but mostly we spent it reading The Shining. Every time we pull into The Stanley, I get that feeling again. You know the one. Like you’re returning to the best part of yourself.
HV