Hurray!!  No Big Ben alarm this morning.  I was up anyway but Jack got to sleep past 7 a.m.

Spent a good part of the day driving to first Netherland, Co and then Estes Park.  After Estes Park, we drove into Rocky Mountain National Park in search of elk; but, alas, we saw no elk.

In Netherland, we saw the Carousel of Happiness, a restored 1910 Looff carousel with 58 animals that were hand carved by the carousel's creator, Scott Harrison.   When Harrison was a marine serving in Viet Nam, he envisioned building a carousel in the mountains.  The image sustained him throughout his military service and inspired him, with the help of some dedicated volunteers, to build the carousel and pavilion in picturesque Netherland,  Colorado.

In addition to the carousel, the pavilion houses a fully restored 1913 Wurlitzer Band Organ and puppet theatre.  We didn't get to ride the carousel or hear the music as today and yesterday the pavilion was closed.  It was fun to see though.  The dedication and skill it must have taken to carve all of the animals is inspiring.  Unfortunately, I have been unable to pull the pictures I took and downloaded to this crazy laptop into the blog so.............

Tomorrow, we go with Fred, and a group of seniors he is leading, on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Weather is supposed to be clear and quite warm.  Should be fun.

9/4/12

We arrived in Manitou Springs and Cave of the Winds shortly after noon today.  Our tour commenced around 1:30 p.m.   Cave of the Winds was discovered in 1881 by two young boys.  When they told of their discovery, no one believed them; so it was not until about a year later that one man decided to look for himself and the cave discovery was validated.  The cave opened to the public about five years later.  Cave tours in the 1800s were far different from what they are today.  The tourists crawled on hands and knees through the cave openings and tunnels; and ladders to get to the different cave levels.  Candles were used for illumination.   As the cave became more of a tourist attraction, "improvements" were made to better accommodate them--openings were enlarged, cement flooring and electric lighting were installed.  The stalagtites and stalagmites were smaller than I expected although some were reportedly hundreds of years old.  I felt no winds blowing through the caves but apparently they do blow at times.

After touring the cave, we headed for Longmont and our visit with my brother, Fred.  Unfortunately we hit the Denver rush hour traffic so made slower progress than expected but did arrive in time for dinner and a nice visit with Fred & Mary.