02 May 2006
Luke
Over spring break, I met my family in Aspen, Colorado for some skiing. Scott and I were only there for four days, but my mom, dad, and Nora all stayed for about a week. We spent most of our time skiing and snowboarding (except for my mom), but while we were there we decided to pay a visit to the Silver Lining Ranch. Carrie spent a week here while she was undergoing treatment -- I don't remember exactly when, but I think it was before her senior year of high school.
It felt kind of surreal to be there, but it was really cool. The Ranch itself is huge, with acres of land, and beautiful lawns ornamented with all sorts of plants and shrubs. And this was in the winter, with snow on the ground -- I imagine it would be pretty cool in the summer too. They were out of session when we arrived, so we were given a personal tour of an otherwise empty building. We were shown to the stage, where Carrie performed in the talent show that is held every year. There was also a gigantic TV with a PS2, Xbox, and whatever else attached. We were told that it was a very popular attraction.
Next was the hot tub! It is the biggest hot tub in Aspen, and that's saying a lot. They could probably pack a few dozen kids in there if they all squeezed. Upstairs were the bedrooms, where the kids stayed 3 or 4 to a room. Each room was sponsored by a particular group or organization, and they were covered in these beautiful murals. You can see some of the murals on the website tour. The game room in the basement had a bunch of air hockey tables, foosball tables, and even a small in-house bowling lane! And plenty of bowling shoes, too.
I could tell that Nora was a bit torn between really liking the place, but realizing that in order to actually attend the camp she would have to have cancer. It was weird being in this place where so many kids had so much fun, even while they were sick. I can see how Carrie fit right in there -- so many of the drawings on the walls and the photos I saw around reminded me of her. Every kid makes a tile when they come, which is added to a tiled wall in the game room. We tried to find hers, but without her there to point it out for us, we couldn't make out which one was hers. We made a guess and narrowed it down to only a few, though. I can imagine her making lots of friends among the kids older and younger than her (although there wouldn't be that many kids much older than her -- I'm pretty sure the limit is 18 years).
As we left, they gave us Beanie Babies that were custom-made for the Little Star foundation, which is associated with Silver Lining. That was a really nice touch -- I've never been given a Beanie Baby before, so that really made my day for sure.