Saturday September 12, 2009-Priest Gulch RV Resort

Today was the day that Tommy & Susan and Harry & Judy arrived. We all got up and ate our breakfast and waited for them to arrive.

While waiting for them to arrive, I reflected back to my childhood when I learned of a story that was passed on to me. Here is that story:

Now there was this little Indian boy about ten years old named Falling Rock. His mother and father named him so because he was constantly running and falling over little rocks on the ground. Falling Rock was always daydreaming about going out on the big bear hunts with the bigger, older braves. Every time he asked his father if he could go, his father would always say, ‘Not this time, Falling Rock. You must wait ‘till you are bigger and stronger like the other braves.’ But Falling Rock could not understand why his father said no. It seemed to him that every day he was getting bigger and stronger.One morning as the Indian hunting party rode out of camp on their horses to track bears, an idea came to Falling Rock. He thought that if he could slip away from camp and track a bear to bring back to his father, it would prove to him that he was big and strong enough to go hunting with the other braves. Therefore, Falling Rock waited ‘till evening, after the sun had gone down and it was growing dark. He took his bow and arrows and an old hunting knife given to him as a gift from his father, and very cautiously he crept out of camp and ran by the light of the moon far into the mountains. Finally, he sat down under a big pine tree to rest. He began to drift off to sleep when suddenly he heard a growl! He sat bolt upright and listened, his heart beating rapidly. Suddenly there was an eerie howl, then another growl, then a yelp! All at once it sounded like a hundred different sounds were rising up from the forest!‘What are all those animals making all these noises?’ Falling Rock cried to himself as he shivered with fear. ‘My father was right. I am not yet big and strong enough to go hunting in the forest. I am small and frightened. Tomorrow I will go back home.’But all the next day Falling Rock searched for camp. He could not see the campfire smoke of his people or even send smoke signals himself because of the already smoky atmosphere of the mountains. His father and other braves searched for him for days on end but they never found poor Falling Rock. His tribe wrote signs and posted them all along the trailways asking travelers to please help look for him.Falling Rock did grow up to be big and strong and is still alive today living in the mountains. He has traveled all over the country and has been seen from time to time tracking bears. Perhaps you, too, will see him if you think to look the next time you read a sign that says ‘Please Watch for Falling Rock.’”

So ends the lesson of the day. Our friends arrived safe and sound about thirty minutes apart. We are all happy to be together again.

So long.