Echo Lake Lodge

I drove up to Echo Lake, located at the foot of Mount Evans here in Colorado, last week to check out the fall colors. While there, I stopped in at the Echo Lake Lodge (seen on the left), which has been around since 1926. I first visited this place back in 1981, not too long after I moved to Denver from Chicago. My parents, Mary and Nelson, and my sister Susan and her husband George had come to visit, and one afternoon I decided drive them to the top of Mount Evans. The Echo Lake Lodge is located at the start of the Mount Evans Road, which leads to the 14,000 foot summit. My father was having trouble breathing by the time we got to the lodge, and decided to stay at the bar there while we went the rest of the way up. Which makes sense, since my father was of the belief that if you have seen one mountain, you have seen them all.

This time around, due to the coronavirus, the road to the top of Mount Evans was closed. And even if it had opened as scheduled, it always closes by Labor Day, since the snow starts to fall pretty early up there. Back in 1981, when my mother and sister and I continued on to the top, it turned out to be quite an experience for them.  Most of the road was above treeline, and there were many, many sharp curves. And, as I recall, no guard rails. Susan enjoyed the drive, but I think my mother was petrified. She didn't stop talking about those "whore pin" turns for weeks. As I have said before, my mother was not the outdoor type. That's what growing up in Chicago does to you.