Pic: He does look happy. Cole on the Carousel of Happiness, Nederland, CO
“Yes, yes,” you say. “Cute kid on a merry-go-round. Fine piece of Americana. What is happening on the wall behind him?!” Good question.
Pic: Somewhere Else. Carousel of Happiness, Nederland, CO
Dave, Julie, the kids, and I kicked off the day with a short hike toward Lost Lake. Lots of low-key Colorado views: a creek swollen with snowmelt, framed by Douglas fir and set against the imposing Rockies.
Cole started ski lessons last winter at Eldora Mountain Resort, whose chair lifts and groomed runs preside over this part of the valley. The name of the program for 4-5 year olds? The Eldorables.
We re-energized with a trip to “downtown” Nederland: fresh-fried mini-donuts at Train Cars Coffee and Yogurt Company (located in a couple of actual train cars) followed by a ride on the Carousel of Happiness.
Any carousel is cool, doubly so if you’re hanging out with appropriately-aged kids. Old carousels that play music mechanically (proto-robots!) are even cooler. The Carousel of Happiness has these ingredients, plus an inspiring history featuring another amateur wood carver!
As a young Marine in Vietnam, Scott had received a tiny music box that he held to his ear to distract him from the horror of the war going on around him. The music, Chopin’s “Tristesse“, brought him a peaceful image of a carousel in a mountain meadow. After rescuing the abandoned Looff carousel in Utah he spent the next 26 years hand-carving animals to bring it back to life.
Scott had never carved before but […] he went on to create more than 50 one-of-a-kind animals.
The ride cost a buck, making the Carousel of Happiness my other Best $1 Purchase of the trip.
Danger Beyond This Point 