A Vacation at the Overlook . . .
The following was contributed by an alt.movies.kubrick correspondent...
I recently took a vacation from work and went on a three week road trip across the western United States. Basically, I visited National Parks and National Monuments, went skiing a couple of times, etc.
Well, one of the places I always wanted to visit was Timberline Lodge, a National Historical site built by the WPA in the 30's at the base of Mt. Hood in northern Oregon. Kubrick thanks Timberline Lodge in the credits of "The Shining" (one of the most beautiful looking films ever shot IMO), so I put 2 and 2 together and decided to check it out [The Timberline is used as the model for the studio exteriors of the Overlook, and appears itself in the opening helicopter shots -- ed.].
So here are some of my observations:
The road up to Timberline Lodge is not the road used in the film.
Unfortunately, there's no hedge maze.
The Lodge looks a lot smaller in person than in the film. When I got home, I had to check my laserdisc of the film to make sure that they didn't make it look larger with mattes. I you look carefully, you might be able to see the ski chairlift going up Mt. Hood in the background... The room I was in is the second cupola (or is it an awning?) on the right wing of the Lodge, 3rd floor.
The guy in the gift store said the blue snow-cat used in the movie is still in service. The same guy also told me that the Lodge does look significantly smaller in the winter due to the 10 feet of snow piled up against it.
If you're interested in staying at the Lodge, they have a $100 per night, there's spring special which includes free dinner in the Cascade Dining Room, their four-star restaurant. It's a good deal, because dinner for two would have cost me $65.00 --- and it was very good. The ski resort is open from mid-fall to mid-summer. I was there last week in April and it was snowing!!!! I decided not to ski because it was very windy, and it was a wet snow. As a result, they we're only operating one lift. A day lift ticket for spring skiing costs $18.00, I think.