Aspen Lodge and SPA wrangler Ryan Fling at work on the trail in 2010.
Last month's heavy rains may have
dealt a near catastrophic blow to a number of tourism operations in and
around Estes Park, but there are increasing signs that business is slowly returning to normal. October is Prime Time for visitors who usually come to this gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)
to experience fall colors and elk spotting. Media reports say as many
as 10,000 visitor were ushered through Park gates this weekend. Washed
out roads and the Federal government's shutdown made for a perfect
storm. Fortunately, RMNP officially re-opened this weekend, and the flow
of tourism revenues should start trickling in at least for some area
businesses.
One of those tourism operations that is likely to take longer to recover is Aspen Lodge Resort and Spa.
This well-known establishment suffered greatly as a result of a
mudslide which landed right in the parking lot of the main lodge,
disturbing critical utilities infrastructure like the freshwater supply.
Getting the Lodge back to market-readiness is likely to take many
months.
The historic Aspen Lodge Livery in 2010
The Lodge's livery took a heavy blow when it was blanketed in mud. All the horses escaped. One draft horse which ended
up buried in mud up to its hips, according to media reports, was
rescued by a crane operator who happened to be in the area. Out of the
sorrow resulting from the damage, some positive stories are emerging.
Inside view the heritage Livery building before the mudslide
I was lucky enough to capture a trail ride experience at Aspen Lodge on video in 2010, during a fall tour operator inspection trip. It shows a landscape that must look quite different now than it looked like then. But nature is strong. It will reshape itself, once again, to perfection.
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