A transplanted granite boulder from North Dakota inflicts hernia on a middle aged Oklahoma man years after their introduction. Our Guest Author is "CW". You may have enjoyed his two other posts here. Can be found in the archives; " Don’t flip me off. Its the car ". and " To Waynoka, Ok. for the annual Rattle Snake hunt".
C.W. knows I am abit of a rock hound as well. When he mentioned a road-trip with a big rock I was hooked into the story line right away. He has been kind enough to share his road story with us here.
1999 I took a road-trip to Minot, North Dakota. Out of Enid Oklahoma up Highway 281 to Carrington, North Dakota then switched to Highway 52 to Minot. Headed north from OK on a Thursday evening, drove till two in the morning which got me way up into Nebraska. Catching a cat-nap on the side of the road continuing up Highway 281 North at the break of day.
Driving and looking this new country-side over I noticed it was different from my Oklahoma. I especially noticed the difference when I got into South Dakota. The distance between towns and the lack of people became greater.
I have to admit, I am a rock-hound or should I say I like boulders. When I take a trip in my truck and have room I will take my dolly along to assist me in obtaining a boulder from a field or roadside. When I see a rock that intrigues me, I give it a good once over and if worthy I will give it a nice new home, my home in OK. That is how I came to have in this good looking rock in my yard. An unnamed rock in the yard looking pretty at that time. Later on I named this big rock.
Had an encounter with a flock of ducks that were all over the road-way. I made it without hitting any of them, funny watching about 100 ducks run around. I increasingly had pheasants lifting up from the side of the road which scared the day lights out of me. They are a game bird the size of a chicken and the thought of one of them hitting the truck kept me on edge.
When I got to Redfield, S.D. on Highway 281, which had a bill board on the edge of town billing its self as the "Pheasant Capital of the World" I see a Drive-Inn and decided to take a break. Walking around my truck checking it out, looked underneath to find it covered with transmission oil. I found a shop, the drive shaft gasket had went out, lucky in that I found it before damage happened. They said I would be back on Hwy 281 in about Three hours. Luck was with me again.
So I decide to check out the Town of Redfield. A lot of antique shops farm related and hunting supply stores. I saw a sign saying Legler Park so I decided to check it out. It was great, a suspension bridge going over a small river and benches made of beautiful stone. In the middle of it was a fantastic light house made of stone. It was built during the years of 1941 to 1946 and is a master piece (see attached photo) if your ever up that way I encourage you to check it out. While there I struck up a conversation with a older gentleman. Asked him about these piles of stone I would see in the corner of the farm fields. He told me that the winters are so cold that over time the rocks are forced up through the earth to the surface and every few years the farmers would hire a group of kids to be rock-pickers, they go through the fields picking up rocks placing them on a trailer then dumping them in the corner of the fields. Back to the shop, they were just bringing my truck down off of the rack. Back on the 281 road.
I got to Minot, North Dakota rented a U-Haul trailer. Just before heading out the next day, my daughter noticed I had brought my dolly, she smiled; "lets go find a boulder for my dad". I followed a car load of her friends to the south end of a "Lake Area". I drove around, then started walking on one of the hills, spotted a salt and pepper looking Granite boulder that caught my eye. Granite is very heavy solid rock the choice for counter tops and tombstones. I backed the truck up to the hill till the tail gate hit the earth then her friends helped me get the dolly slipped under one end of the rock then with their help we tilted the dolly back, that’s when the dolly started down the hill. I was digging my heals in leaving deep tracks in the earth, luck was still with me, we rolled the boulder into the back of the truck. We packed up and headed south bound Hwy 281 to home. Back on the road. Drove till dark found a motel, made it home on Sunday.
I backed up into the yard, managed to get the boulder out of the truck, one of the heaviest boulders I had ever brought home. The added weight actually seemed to help the truck control the trailer. A few years latter I decide to move the "no name North Dakota Granite Boulder" to another part of the yard. While prying it up on the dolly I felt sever pain. A few days later the doctor told me I had a hernia that would require surgery to fix. Hence forth, The North Dakota Granite Boulder will forever more be known as the "The Hernia Rock". I have never tried to move it again. I think this rock inflicted the hernia on me for moving it down to the hotter climate of Oklahoma 281. This Boulder seems to shine in the winter weeks, it likes the colder weather. Some of the places I have gotten boulders from are Wolf Creek Pass, Colo., Cimarron, New Mexico, Clayton, New Mexico and various other places.
Thanks again CW for another great story. I see why you brought her home.
Safe travels around the Yard and on the Highways.
Ya'll Come Back...
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