Rich,
Let me bring your scene to life
[flic.kr]

I was up there a few times on my trips, one day I was having some lunch there when some Oregon plated people drove up, they got out and had a look around , the woman in a hurry to get going. I remarked on their Portland sticker, said I'd not long passed through Portland going up to Alaska before coming down to Colorado. We chatted about the area, and the bubbling water to which they were amazed that a Kiwi knew about this remote location, since they were originally from Colorado and had never heard of the Snowslide history.
About then a Texas plated pickup truck came rolling downgrade, the driver slowing and yelling out my name, asking was I was headed to the convention? That gob-smacked the Oregonians for sure! Are you reading this, Craig?