ROCKY RIVER RANCH

I honestly believe that I wouldn't be the same person if not for my many years at Rocky River, and each year that passes makes me more aware of the grace I found here and the gift of the chance to become one of the few ... a Rocky River girl. To the land of the triple R, I pledge my heart to you!

I love Rocky River Ranch. It was a place I could go and feel accepted for the person I was — not the person I was expected to be. When we passed under that arch, the playing field was leveled and I was free to be myself, or even to reinvent myself! If I could ride, if I could swim, if I could do crafts or even if my only talent was spitting watermelon seeds, I was accepted!

This was my very first camp I ever went to and let me tell you it was the best! I only wish I had found out about it earlier so I could have spent more than just one year there. Y'all are an amazing camp and I hope you keep running for another 50 years.

I have said for years that RRR made me the person that I am today. Actually it wasn’t just RRR, but also the counselors that shaped my experiences and helped me be the best I could be. I learned to problem solve, lead others and to be a leader others wanted to follow. I learned to do my part and that I can do anything I decided to do. I learned to say 'I can' a lot more than 'I cannot.' I learned to co-exist with others which helps me to this day. As a young girl I learned what others around me now in their 30s still do not know. I learned to take care of and respect myself, respect others and the world around me.

I loved my counselors, I loved the river, and even learned how to sail on Canyon Lake. I still sing all the old camp songs that we sang every day after lunch to my little girl, who's five, every night before bed. I always end with, 'I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills ...' and then Taps.

I loved RRR from the second I saw it. The smell of the cedar trees sure was heaven compared to the pollution of Dallas. I only got to stay for two weeks that first summer, which was way too short a time. I rode the horses, shot up targets, and made stuff in the crafts hut. I know I made it down to the river a few times. It was the year that I got my red tie in the horseback department and I was sooooo proud! I got to stand in front of the campfire while the campers all went berserk over my accomplishment. I feel so lucky to have the memories that I do and those are of RRR. I don't remember much about my childhood, but I remember everything about RRR and how much I loved going there every summer. It was heaven on earth.