I went to a facilitator training with Pahara at their new Lone Rock site. I thought... wow, how convenient that they found a lodge to buy and the past owners left all these cool music instruments. Um, no. This place was custom built, specifically picked two be a couple hours from Denver, an easy access airport 2 hours away, where education leaders from across the country can come together. Everything about the design - building, instruments, books, dart boards, massive Scrabble boards, Walgreens like area where you can grab whatever you want (sunscreen, ponchos, snacks, toothpaste - for free!), drawers you can pull out and grab whatever you want so it can feel like home. Add to that cabins (deliberately simple with no TV so you are encouraged to hang out with each other outside of the room). Pizza oven, several eating areas that feel like someone's kitchen instead of a cafeteria, bonfire pits... Not just one sauna pool but three (!!), each at different temperatures so you can find one to your liking. A rock ritual where if someone in your group dies, you carry a rock down there in tribute to them (something to look forward to). And beautiful architecture in a beautiful setting.
How was this funded? By Reed Hastings and others who are on the board of Pahara. It's supposed to be a beautiful retreat that is affordable for non-profits. Such a great concept.
My attempt at describing pales into the actual thing. So without further ado, here are some photos.
The music room.
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