Day 66: Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival Guest Invitation

One of the most popular attractions in the Estes Park area is the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival.  The festival is infused with colorful world class athletes, competing in jousting, caber-throwing, and more. It is quite a sensory experience with bagpipes and drumming, Highland and Irish dancing, as well as Folk music and Celtic rock. 

We have been honored over the years to have many Highland games families stay and dine with us. For some of our staff and guests it has been a unique new experience to actually witness men in kilts or the sound of bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace” before breakfast. 

Now, crazy as it seems, we don’t seem to have any sort of a key to bagpipes in our Key Collection. (Have one you’d like to donate? Please do!) 

We do have several keys with Scottish and Irish connections. Our collection includes the key to the Captain’s quarters of the four-masted “Star of Scotland” sailing ship built in 1887, which was operational until it was sunk by a German U-boat in 1942.  

As well, you can find the key to the Limerick Castle Stables in Ireland. And in 2013, we were most honored to receive the Adare Castle Key, from Adare Ireland, presented to us by the Countess of Dunraven after her visit to Estes Park.

The festival this year is September 7-10, 2017. The town packs out so make your Baldpate Inn B&B Lodging reservations now, and Dining Reservations after May 1^st. You’ll be able to enjoy the festivities in town and then retire to a mostly quiet retreat and excellent dining to refresh yourself.

Until then, Slàinte mhòr agus a h-uile beannachd duibh, which means, “Great health and every good blessing to you!” 

Written by Lois Smith and Liz Rodgers

Day 53: Rodeo Days

One of the many traditions that the guests and staff of The Baldpate Inn enjoy each year is attending Estes Park's Rooftop Rodeo. The rodeo may be small, but it packs a punch and has won several PRCA awards for being the best rodeo in the nation. 

The much-loved rodeo parade winds through town, filling the streets with horses. Children compete in Mutton Bustin’, much to the delight of all. (Unfamiliar with Mutton Bustin'? Imagine small children hanging onto bouncing sheep, attempting to stay onboard for six seconds!)  The evenings are capped off with a professional rodeo.  

Rodeo events in Estes Park have been around at least as early as 1908, so we are certain that many guests and staff throughout the years have enjoyed this event. Undoubtedly, bravado horseman Chuck Malone, who operated the Baldpate Stables would have put his rodeo skills to the test. 

As you may recall from our Celebrities post, famed Hollywood actress Lana Turner visited The Baldpate Inn in 1941 to commemorate the opening of the Rocky Mountain National Park for the summer season, with a key that was donated to The Baldpate Inn. During that visit, she was named Honorary Rodeo Queen 1941. 

            Lana Turner, Hollywood movie star with MGM, was to be the honorary queen of that 1941 Rooftop Roundup. She was named by local cowboys in May when she visited the area for a LOOK magazine travel feature. Humphrey Bogart of Warner Brothers was named honorary parade marshal.

-         Source: Rooftop Rodeo History        

Do you have a rodeo memory to share? 

Dust off your boots and join us at the rodeo for an impressive display of agility and skill. The 2017 Rooftop Rodeo runs July 5-10. Make your B&B lodging reservations at The Baldpate Inn now and plan to be in Estes Park for this special adventure! 

Written by Liz Rodgers

Day 47: Pranks at Baldpate Inn (April Fool’s Day)

Living and working in close quarters with a small group of people, it’s natural that friendships, and some good-natured ribbing, will result.  This April Fool’s Day, we recall with a smile some of the best pranks pulled at Baldpate. 

In the days of the Baldpate Livery, wrangler Chuck Malone rode his horse through the Baldpate Dining room, astounding all present. Legends also credit him with filling the storage tanks with whiskey!

In more modern times, Innkeeper Lois was the victim of a prank when her grandson, Mason, had the sneaky idea of waking her up early one mischievous morning, with the urgent message that she had overslept. He assures me that he has learned his lesson. I’ll just remind him that revenge is sweet, and not fattening. 

Perhaps Mason learned from the best (AKA his dad)? MacKenzie recalls startling guests with a ghostly rocking chair that seemed to rock all on its own. Only a closer inspection would reveal tied-on dental floss and a giggling MacKenzie.


When least expected, the "secret" trap doors in the Baldpate kitchen storeroom and Key Room have also brought some unexpected entrances for surprised staff.  Or there is the vague memory of a watermelon somehow propped on the girls bunkhouse door?

What pranks at The Baldpate Inn do you recall? 

Happy April Fool’s! 

Written by Liz Rodgers

Day 42: Baldpate Horses and Livery

Horses have always enthralled me! As a young girl, I spent hours dreaming of riding horses. Staring out the car widow, I’d imagine the scenery rushing by was flying under me and my trusty steed. 

I have always enjoyed visiting The Baldpate Inn, and I’m still invariably drawn to the old black and white photos of the Baldpate horses and livery.  Who were these lucky folks beaming from the saddles? What trails did they ride and what stories could they tell?

Not much written history exists regarding the Baldpate Livery, especially during the earliest years, but we know it was an important part of life at the Inn. Horses were still a main method of transportation at the inception of the Inn, gradually replaced by automobiles. Although Baldpate no longer has stables, trail riding remains a popular attraction today with many stables in the area for our guests.

In the days of the Baldpate Livery, guests and tourists enjoyed trail rides into Rocky Mountain National Park, and up towards Longs Peak.

 

One of the most well-known characters associated with the stables was Chuck Malone. He ran the Baldpate Livery and guided tours for 20 years; our best estimate is that he started in the late 1920s. Chuck and his dog, Buster, kept things lively and entertaining, and often a bit on the wild side. Legends circulate of his fortune-telling penchant, and on occasion, riding horseback into the main Dining Room of the hotel! Chuck’s name and a Baldpate brand remain carved into the Wrangler cabin’s mantle. 

This $1.00 lesson seems like the best buck you could spend for an adventure! 

Do you have a tale - tall or otherwise - of The Baldpate Livery or horses? Please tell us about it in the comments below! 

 Written by Liz Rodgers