| Show baldpate keys lure tourists collection highlights rocky mountain hostel ESTES PARK COL there are nearly early of those keys to bald pate ate now it if youve ever been a tourist in colorados rocky mountain M 0 u n t a I 1 n national park you surely have seen the at baldpate inn it has keys from all parts of the world large keys small keys keys ot of strange shapes and bizarre histories the inn is a modest log building just oft off the south st vrain canyon road about 10 miles from estes park village and an easy two hour drive from denver the west wing of 0 the inn Is pretty well given over to the key collection keys hang from the round log rafters and cover the pine walls visitors are encouraged to add keys to the collection tagged with their names and the date gordon mace baldpates Bald pates proprietor who is getting a bit thin on top himself talks about the keys with as much sparkle in his friendly blue eye as he must have shown the day he and his brothers started the collection yes close to keys now he said but they dont come in as fast as they used to people who know about the collection wait until they get something really special before they send it alon along mace has devoted one whole section of walls to keys sent to him from cities on the war fronts by americans in the armed services who once visited baldpate there Is a key from the imperial hotel at tokyo in this batch and a tiny one reputed to open a drawer of hillers Hit lers desk A chaplain in new zealand wrote mace he was sending him the most important key in new zealand it was an opener tor for a C ration tin toe the pilot of a bomber based at texas wrote mace he would drop him a key by parachute the next time he hew flew into colorado on the designated day he swooped low over lake estes |
