 |
| The Stanley Hotel - BWAH HA HA HA HA! |
There are some days you would commit MURDER to have your day actually take place on October 31st, Halloween night, instead of a lazy August afternoon. Today, was such a day, because I was signed onto the scheduled Ghost tour at the Stanley Hotel.
I've stayed at the Stanley before, back in 2011, October but not on Halloween.
That's me at the Stanley in 2011; looking perhaps a little stressed.
Arriving at the Stanley today, I had to bug staff for the meet-up site, and that got me down to the lower level. There, participants of the tour gathered.
I think the TV series of The Shining was on the telly
 |
| Our tour guide - quite the character! |
Our tour guide told us the safety bits then lead us out of the Stanley and over to the Stanley's Concert Hall.
 |
| Headed for the Concert Hall, dead ahead |
We trekked through the front doors and right on up stairs to a seating area. There our guide told us the basic history of the Stanley, which revolved around the romance between the inventor of the Stanley Steamer car. Yes, a steam driven car, which environmentally, might come in handy again about now. The Stanleys couple built the original Stanley building for themselves. There they entertained loads of guests seasonally. Eventually the Stanley being morphed into a hotel so anyone could visit there and have a great time. The cool part is that ghost there are not there because they had a miserable time, but because they having had the time of their lives at the Stanley their spirits seem intent on continuing that fun in the hereafter. Happy Ghosts to you too!
I took lots of photo 'bursts' as instructed by our guide, in hopes of catching a spook or three digitally. Had no such luck of course.
Back downstairs we were able to roam about the grand concert hall and I even did a little inspection and ghost chasing up on the big stage.
 |
| Where we first sat up in the nosebleed seats can be seen over the green exit light |
The tour continued with our guide leading us deep down into the bowels of the Concert Hall building. There we stood where the coats and costumes were hung before performances, and where performers must have practiced their lines or ran their voice exercises. There is a ghost cat, a ghost handyman and several others including a little girl and a homeless woman. Hey, I'm passing this along, as I didn't see a one!
The guide had many phone pix taken by people on ghost tours. This one on the right here, is of a ghost cat. If it is the white blob at the top or the white blob at the bottom (which sort of has a tail) I don't know. I always guess you had to be there.
My favorite 'v. haunted item' in the Concert Hall basement is this old mirror which I understand isn't even an original furnishing of the Stanley Hotel. It is famous for people taking photos of it, and others - not there at the time of the photography - show up in the photos. Holy crap! Is that people behind me... Yes. It is. They were there at the time though. Rats.
 |
| Taking my own photo in the famous haunted mirror in the Concert Hall Basement |
On the left here is one of the famous photos our guide showed us. In it you can see in the bottom left hand side, a squatting person with mobile phone in hand. The bright light is the reflection of the camera flash on the mirror. And the standing people in the photo were not there when the photo was taken. At least they weren't there with the photographer.
Quite peculiar and pretty obviously not the sort of thing a normal person would even begin to believe happened, unless they themselves have seen such so can take someone's word for it.
The next stop was just outside the front steps of the Stanley. We heard real stories about the hotel, including one of a maid that was blown up by a gas leak and somehow managed to live. You can see where all that happened in the part of the building below on the left, with the balcony (rebuilt).
We were also told by the guide, that because of the movie The Shining, visitors to the Stanley often ask where the maze is, that people can walk and get lost in. There was no such thing at the Stanley - so they recently built one. The maze is in its infancy, as the trees/shrubs are still quite small.
 |
| A bit of the new garden maze |
Next we headed back into the Stanley, stopping in one of the big ballrooms.
We were told the room hosts many weddings and receptions. Once, a nervous groom was sweating up a storm, near ruining his wedding clothing. A stately gentleman in old fashioned clothing entered the room and struck up a conversation with the groom, giving words of encouragement and he told the young man how he himself had married the girl of his dreams and they had a wonderful fulfilling marriage. Following the wedding, the groom asked hotel personnel if someone could lead him to the character actor who had calmed him down prior to the wedding. "What character actor?" was the response. "There no character actors here at the Stanley." So by now you may have guessed the stately gentleman was Mr. Stanley himself, the original, the long dead original owner of the Stanley Hotel. Cool story and certainly not the only one I heard this afternoon.
 |
| That flag is haunted... it has an unexplained face on it, |
 |
Can you see the face of old Mr. Stanley's face with a long
white beard? If not, have a drink and try again. |
 |
| Beautiful dining room whose ghostly claims 'I fergits' |
Our last stop on the ghost tour was the underground tunnels. The tunnels were used for personnel to get quickly and unseen from one local of the hotel to another. The tunnels are haunted by ghostly voices and a chef or two.
Below is an ancient safe dating back to the origins of the hotel.
 |
| Lots of pipes line the tunnel ceilings |
That ended the haunted ghost tour of the Stanley Hotel. The daylight tour wasn't the least bit scary at all. Maybe next time I'll work up my nerve to go on the night time tour in the main hotel.
 |
| A Model of the Stanley in the hotel basement |
 |
| A distant photo of the Stanley I took earlier in the day |
