περιπλάνηση: September Steph Visit Day 2

Saturday we visited Marci in Idaho Springs with the idea of eating lunch at Echo Lake Lodge, probably for the very last time.

It was announced this summer that the Denver Parks entity would be "starting an assessment" of the lodge at the end of the season and the concessionaire's contract held by the same family since the 1960s was being terminated.

Marci's neighbor's flowers in full end of summer blooms

Marci shows Steph around the house

Unfortunately, when we arrived at the Lodge, we could see the restaurant side all dark with chairs stacked on the tables.

so we just did bit of shopping and visiting with the woman who runs the shop and has been doing so for decades. She said Denver Parks and Rec had refused to spend anything on the Lodge upkeep (even the public toilets went out of service this summer and never were fixed) and told them they were to strip everything from the building down to the kitchen fixtures by December 31.

As they had lived above the shop and been the only landline available for miles, they had been the only help available to those travelling through (there is ZERO cell service) that needed to call for assistance. If you knocked on the lodge's door in the middle of the night, stranded, they were there to help. No more.

This place has been an annual pilgrimage since the very first weekend we became Coloradoans and drove up to the top of Mt. Evans with a stop at the lodge for lunch.

Ever since then everyone who has come to visit us is introduced to the place. It was very sad to know this would be gone. The building will doubtless stay, but likely dark until Parks & Rec makes a decision to do all of the needed repairs and then reopen . . . as? Nobody knows.