The Gift Rock

The Gift Rock

The road to our neighborhood leads past a shopping center before ending at a traffic circle.  The entrance to our neighborhood as well as a fitness center feeds from the traffic circle.

The Traffic Circle with Rock

About once a month, an inattentive truck driver misses the entrance to the Wal-Mart, doesn’t notice the “No Trucks” sign and ends up in the traffic circle.  The traffic circle was not meant to accommodate semi trucks, but that doesn’t seem to deter the drivers.  What they should do at that point is back up the 100 or so yards and turn into the Wal-Mart entrance, and sometimes they do.  But more often than not overconfidence prevails and they try to swing their rig around the circle.  When that happens, they invariably snag one of the boulders that was placed around the circle specifically to deter such activity.  The rocks usually end up right at the curb, but sometimes they get drug out into the road.

The Traffic Circle with Rock

This most recent time, someone helpfully placed construction tape around the rock as a warning to drivers.  Then someone came along and added some Christmas bows.  The rock is too heavy to move, so it will sit there until someone hires a contractor to move it back.  In the mean time, we have a Gift Rock!

Where the trucks are supposed to go!

4 thoughts on “The Gift Rock”

  1. I love the creativity of the rock/boulder mourners. It’s a shame that drivers fail to read signs or believe the rules are meant for someone else.

    1. It’s actually an easy mistake to make, I think. Unfortunately it’s probably more bad judgement than an intentional flaunting of the rules. I’ve never driven a truck or even pulled a trailer, but would like to think if I saw that circle ahead of me I’d think “oh, !@#$%!” and stop to evaluate my options.

      The city buses that turn around there can just barely make it without backing up, and then it’s only the experienced drivers that know how to do it!

      I’m glad I caught the photos when I did! The next day the wind blew the tape and bows off, and the day after that someone came and returned the rock to its home!

  2. Maybe a warning sign prior to the entrance. Well, knowing human nature that probably wouldn’t work, either. I suppose every city or town has a similar situation.

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