Around February of 2005 we drove from our home in Farmington, NM to Durango, CO for a concert at their local college. We had planned on driving back home afterward (it's only a distance of 45 miles) but on the drive over we decided to see if we could get a room at the Strater Hotel and spend the night.
We checked in and joked about seeing a ghost as we went to explore our room. I believe it was room 304 but I can't remember for certain. The Strater's rooms are all charmingly decorated with antique furniture and period wallpapers and linens. In each room, propped upon the bed pillows is a journal where guests are encouraged to write about their experiences in Durango. We didn't have time to read any of the entries before going to the concert.
After the concert we stopped for a drink in the Diamond Belle Saloon located off the hotel lobby then went to our room. My once upon a time husband climbed into bed and was instantly asleep. I puttered around, brushed my teeth, washed my face and crawled into bed to read a book and get warm because the temperature in the room was icey. I read a couple of entries in the journal whose writers mainly told of where they were from and chronicled vacation itineraries, then I switched to reading a book I'd brought with me because it was a lot more engrossing than the journal appeared to be.
It was very quiet as I lay there reading except for the OUaTH's snoring. Suddenly, I heard rustling in the room next door and then a woman began crying. Not just crying; she was sobbing in agonizing grief. I had never heard anyone cry like that. I tried to wake the OUaTH but I couldn't move or speak. I glanced at the clock and it was midnight. It went on for several minutes before abruptly stopping. I am sure it wasn't as otherworldly as it seemed, and was only a distraught guest, but in that setting and at that time of night I was spooked. It wasn't scary but it was eerie.
The next morning the OUaTH read the journal as I was getting around to leave. It seems some of the other guests had had similar experiences.
Have you had any eerie experiences?
Happy Halloween!
2 comments:
Spent the night at The Castle in the Sky in Queen Wilhelmina State Park several years ago. We were the only guests there that night. In the wee hours of the morning, we could hear someone walking down the hallway and making noise in the room next to us. We asked the desk staff if any maintenance personnel were upstairs by our room during those hours, and they said no, it was the Queen taking her evening stroll.
I didn't question any of the staff about what happened. It was too implausible that it was anything other than a distraught guest. Still, it was an interesting experience.
The Castle in the Sky sounds like a neat place to stay, I googled it.
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