Behind the Scenes: The Fear Barometer
Which is more angst-inducing?
A dysfunctional network connection while trying to produce a blog
OR
A remote, haunted resort hotel with "r E d r U M" written on mirrors, a hedge maze, a room numbered '217' and a mad novelist?
Most of the blog team would choose the former.
However, fellow blogger Kaitlin and I visited the historic Stanley Hotel earlier this week--the site at which Stephen King based his novel, The Shining. You may remember it as The Overlook Hotel.
We headed down the mountain from the conference site into the charming town of Estes Park on Wednesday evening to find an alternate blog spot--a location with wireless. As we were scouting, Kaitlin noticed the Stanley looming in the distance. It beckoned us like Mr. Dark in "Something Wicked This Way Comes." (Does anyone else remember being haunted by this Ray Bradbury story as a child? The film, equally haunting, was brought to us by the Darker Side of Disney. Yet, I digress...)
Even though The Shining was not filmed at the Stanley, King discovered it in 1973 and spent time in it while writing the novel.
My suspension of disbelief was pleased to see the same type of elevator and stairs as depicted in the movie. There was a scary workman on the roof, Kaitlin pointed out. And the hotel staff was kind enough to give us the 15-minute tour of the potentially scariest parts of the hotel. We took a trip to the fourth floor, which is rumored to be haunted, according to (overzealous) bellhop Amiel Yaniv. We paused outside of room 217 and heard noises inside, although Yaniv insisted he thought there were no guests assigned to the room currently.
Take a little time to visit (or stay at) the Stanley the next time you come to the Estes conference--it's actually a historic landmark and quite beautiful! I dare you to stay in room 217. (muahahahaha...)
