For the love of rocks!

If you don't love beautiful rocks, then you may not want to read this story.

In 1975, I worked for a company called Ministers Life. I sold life and health, disability and retirement plans to ministers, missionaries and students, studying to become ministers. I represented the company in the state of Oklahoma, but also traveled to other states -- Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Colorado. On one occasion, I flew to Denver and spoke to the students at the Bear Valley School of Preaching. During the day, when the students were in class, I had a lot of time on my hands, and I rented a Volkswagen 'bug' from a car rental place called Rent-a-Volks, or something sort of like that name.

Gas was cheap and I drove all over a large area, looking at all the mountains, old, abandoned mines and other scenic places. I went to the Royal Gorge one day. Fascinated witht the rocks there, I asked a park ranger how far I had to go to be in a place where I could pick up rocks. He told me. I drove to that area, some distance from the park, parked my Volks, and began looking over the cliff at the rock formations that were visible. After doing a lot of looking, I finally saw some rocks, sticking out of the face of the cliff (over 1,000 feet straight down!). In the bright sunlight they appeared to be made of silver! I had to have them. Then I realized that if I could pry them from the cliff wall, I still could not take them back on my flight home to OKC. What to do? I decided that I would try to pry them loose (one was already laying in full view on a ledge, about 30 feet down the side of the more or less vertical wall on the cliff).

I have a fear of heights -- something that I've had most of my life -- so, the decision to go over the cliff was difficult for me. I was almost 31 years old and should have known better, but I didn't at the time. I picked my way carefully down the cliff wall, carefully testing each hand and foothold. Arriving at the ledge, I could not look over the side of the ledge. I was terrified....but I wanted those rocks! Some of the rocks that had caught my eye were firmly embedded in the cliff wall, and were clearly out of reach of my abilities. Some of the others were not! I began working on the smaller rocks, and, upon closer examination, realized that the rocks were composed primarily of slabs of mica, mixed in with quartz, feldspar and pink granite. They were gorgeous! I have collected rocks all of my life and had never seen anything like them! Wow!

I worked on the ledge, which extended outward from the face of the cliff about three feet. I lost track of time, but would guess that I spent over an hour on the ledge. I pried loose several speciments that weigh somewhere around 20-30 pounds each, another one that weighs over 60 pounds, and the granddaddy of them all -- a beautiful specimen that weighs over 100 pounds! I stacked them up, after determining that they were all 'rock-garden-worthy' and then left them there. Then I worked my way back up the cliff face while, in the midst of my terror at being near the top of a vertical rock face that, with one mis-step, would send me flying down to the railroad tracks over 1,000 feet below.

I reluctantly left my treasure stacked on the ledge and after looking longingly at the pile of rocks from the safety of the top of the cliff, I got back in my Volkswagen bug and went back to Denver. I made careful note of the location, so that someday --- if the opportunity came for a return visit, I could 'bring home my mountain babies!'

The opportunity to return to the spot came in 1986. Paula and I, along with Gena and Jeff, while on a trip to Colorado to visit Bruce and Sherrill Kerr in Aspen, stopped on our way home at the spot where I had stashed my treasure. I asked Paula and the kids to remain in the car while I went back for the rocks. Gena was nine years old and Jeff was seven. I was a fool for risking my life again for those rocks, but I went over the cliff again, and slowly, and with great care and great deliberation, made my way back up the side of the cliff once again, each time with one of the rocks on my shoulder. It was hard climbing up the cliff face with one arm, but, since there were a number of rough places where one could secure handholds and footholds of sorts, and since the side of the cliff way was not perfectly vertical, but very, very steeply pitched, I felt as though I could -- instantly, if necessary, drop any of the rocks I was carrying, grabbing the cliff face, if necessary.

By the time I had arrived at the top of the cliff with the largest rock -- the prize of prizes-- my shirt was torn and my shoulder, neck and the side of my face were all bleeding. I had skin torn off my hands and arms and had some assorted bruises here and there, but I had the rocks safely on the ground at the top of the cliff!

After arriving in OKC and having positioned the rocks in the rock gardens in our yard, I went to a chiropractor and, over the next six weeks, had a number of treatments on my back, from the trauma of the ordeal of securing the beautiful rocks.

These beautiful speciments reside in our yard today, and one day my children will inherit my hard-won treasure. They are also seriously interested in rock collecting, as is Paula. None of them are as rabidly fanatical about rock collecting as I am, but they are all close! This rock-collecting thing is addictive.

We love rocks as much as other people love antiques. If a fire broke out in our home, we would grab the pictures and video tapes of family and then run outside and begin moving rocks away from the sides of our home.

Paula and I have rocks from all over the world, and each one has a story. Don't ever ask about any of the rocks, if you visit us in our home, because to do so, or show even a mild interest in the rocks will invite a torrent of information that will leave YOU with eyeballs rolling up into their sockets! You will fall victim to that most dreaded of maladies......'The Terminal Glaze' (medical professionals simply refer to the condition as the TG's....but, that's another story!)

Come by sometime to look at my rocks. For your well-being, however, just don't say anything!

:)