Watch out for Falling Rocks

This has been rattling around in my head for awhile so I thought I would write a blog post about it. My dad died 10 years ago and there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him. Recently I have been thinking about a story he used to tell me. Whenever we were driving somewhere and he saw the sign "Watch  for Falling Rock," he would tell me to look quick to see if I could see "him." The "him" was an old Indian named Falling Rock.

According to my father he was an Indian who was very upset by the mistreatment of the land by other people. He was a small, old man who lived in a hollow log and refused to participate in society. Instead he wandered around the mountains he loved so much. Whenever Falling Rock encountered a roadway where people had littered or polluted the surrounding area it would make the old man very angry. He got his revenge by pushing rocks down the slopes and into the road or possible at an offending car that had just thrown trash out the window. He might have been old, but he was strong and quick so it was very rare that someone actually caught a glimpse. Whenever he was spotted a sign went up to warn people to take care and be on their best behavior or else Falling Rock might send a boulder into the road.

Of course I would eagerly peer out the window to see if I could find him. Sometimes my dad would say he saw him and that I just needed to look harder. It was a great story to tell to a kid to keep them entertained in the truck. Not only that it taught me to be respectful of the land. I don't know if he made it up or heard it somewhere else, but I will always associate it with daddy. As an adult it helps me to understand him even more. My dad loved the outdoors and spent as much time as he could out either working in it or enjoying it. He wanted his children to appreciate the land. He was a farmer and he used the land as a tool, but he also cared for it and respected it. I doubt he would ever consider himself a "green person," but he certainly was an advocate and a conservationist long before our current trend of eco-awareness. I owe much of my awareness and awe of nature to him.

Every time I see a Falling Rock sign I think about my dad and have a little chuckle. Of course I cannot resist looking up the hill to see if a tiny wizened man is waiting to push rocks down on anyone who dares to disrespect the land.