Getaway to Baldpate Inn

We left our trailer behind and took a three day/two night adventure through Rocky Mountain National Park and Boulder, Colorado.
Through the park, we shared the road with "Ride The Rockies" bike rally, made up of 2200 bicycles. Good thing it was a Thursday, so traffic wasn't too heavy. We parked our car at the Moraine Visitors Center and took the free shuttle bus to the Bear Lake Area. We hiked around Bear Lake and then to Alberta Falls. Although Rocky Mountain NP is a heavily used park, we found only a few people on the trails that day. Once we arrived at Alberta Falls we realized we had taken this same hike over 13 years ago when we visited in 1999.
Researching places to stay, we found the Baldpate Inn. This rustic lodge built in 1917 is 7 miles south of Estes Park. At over 9,000 feet elevation it is adjacent to Rocky Mountain NP and has 12 guest rooms.

Room #2 was our home for this two night getaway. We had a nice large room with a king bed, a couch, antique dresser, tables and lamps. It had a sink, but the bathroom was down the hall where there were three with old fashioned tubs and two with stall showers. We were supplied with terry cloth robes to make the journey down the hall. We were very comfortable here and slept with the windows open above a real wood burning fireplace.

The restaurant was open to the public for lunch and dinner. They offer a soup & salad bar. Each morning the guests are served a 3 course breakfast consisting of fruit with homemade muffin, quiche and bacon, followed by a homemade cinnamon pecan roll.
The Key Room contains the worlds largest key collection, with over 20,000 keys. Included in this collection is a key from Mozart's wine cellar, Westminster Abbey, the Pentagon and Frankenstein's Castle.
We were required to wear hairnets (and beard nets) while touring the Celestial Tea Company in Boulder, Colorado. After the tour we could have all you can drink, sampling their over 70 different tea products.
We also visited NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) and Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art. These are all located in Boulder. We enjoyed The Mall, a brick paved section of Pearl Street, closed to traffic. After dinner we drove up Mount Flagstaff for a panaramic view of Boulder.
On day three we took the long drive home by going south on Scenic Hwy. 72. Great views of Long's Peak, Meeker Peak, Evan's Peak and a beautiful drive down the unpaved, "Oh, My Gawd Road" to Idahoe Springs.