Who hasn't done this?

Sorta, but different.

When I was in the Navy, (helo, of course) we would sometimes pick up huge rocks and dump them in a lake several miles south of Reno just to see the splash.
 
One time up at Blue lakes we were deer hunting and wanted to push some deer out of a canyon. So we pushed a large boulder down the slope to jump them out and the rock kept going and going and going all the way down to the main road then jumped the road and kept going and going until we heard a large crash. Needless to say we scared the s--t out of ourselves. I really didn't think that one all the way through...LOL I have never done that again.
 
No wonder why I can't find any round rocks to roll down steep hills.
I thought it was a geological oddity that the flat tops have plenty of round rocks but when I get to a steep hill they were mostly all flat.;)
 
Growing up in canyon country, I rolled a lot of rocks. :) Took out some big azz trees doing it.

My favorite rock rolling story was some first-hand stuff from the crew that built the road off of Yarnell Hill in AZ (between Wickenburg and Prescott). I worked with some of the guys who pioneered the road. The giant boulders they rolled off the hill with dozers went for nearly a mile out onto the desert floor.:oops: They are still there.
 
Took a Dozer to Move/Roll Them!

Can't Imagine Them Still being where They Landed!:D


Growing up in canyon country, I rolled a lot of rocks. :)

My favorite rock rolling story was some first-hand stuff from the crew that built the road off of Yarnell Hill in AZ (between Wickenburg and Prescott). I worked with some of the guys who pioneered the road. The giant boulders they rolled off the hill with dozers went for nearly a mile out onto the desert floor.:oops: They are still there.
 
While doing a job in a canyon outside of Scottsdale, AZ my foreman said "do you see any boulders that look like they're going to fall"? I looked around the canyon and said no. He said "that's because my and my buddy's came out here years ago with hydraulic jacks".
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!
 
I've rolled my fair share down, especially while building logging roads. My Grandpa had a pretty good story when he was a youngster. Him and a few friends worked on this boulder for about a week digging it out. When they figured it was close, they "borrowed" a jack from the railroad shed down the road from them. They used that jack to get it going. He said he would have given anything to stop that rock. It got 2 beef cows, and damn near took the train tracks out at the bottom of the hill. I'm sure it is still sitting in the Payette river, below Banks.
 
A couple of rock rollin pics From an undisclosed location in NM. Although it looks like dirt, there are some pretty big boulders that would bust out. They were haulin azz by the time they hit the bottom of the hill.

We put guards over the back windows for those times we had a tractor get down below the other. You need a ripper on a slope like this for an emergency brake. It was a little sketchy standing at the bottom of the hill taking these pics. :)
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As kids we were always fascinated by the power of gravity.

I've also been on the receiving end. I was working on a logging crew setting chokers. There was a big redwood tree that the fallers fell side hill above me about a hundred yards. There was a Cat above me building road and he nudged the 20' long butt cut and it let go and started rolling down the mountain right at me. The Cat skinner yelled and all I could do was watch. I figured no matter which way I ran it would be wrong so I just watched it come. I was frozen with fear and indecision. As luck would have it, it missed me by about 30' to my right. Something I'll never forget.
 
My grandfather, oldest son (8 yrs. old then) and I were staying at the old Big Saddle Camp on the North Kaibab circa 1970. From there, it's a short haul by 2-track to Crazy Jug Point, overlooking the Big Ditch.

So one afternoon we decided to play tourist and head over there. We walked right to the edge of a very, very steel cliff. The temptation to roll some boulders down was too much to resist. None were very large, but they sure bounced high in the air and went a long way down.

I quit when I turned one over only to discover a scorpion's nest with a few hundred babies flitting around in the depression. It gives me goosebumps now just writing about it. I hate the littte buggers. :ROFLMAO:
 
One day the helo guys invited me to be the guinea pig ( guy needing to be rescued) near Reno. They dropped me off on top of Mount Grant, a few miles south of Reno, told me to hang out for a bit with my gear and they would be back in a few minutes to pick me up.

I had some lunch, peed, napped, then got bored so I started rolling rocks. I heard them coming back so I got ready to be 'rescued'. They landed, treated my moulaged injuries, ran a critique of the event, then swapped crews for the flight back.

I was in the right seat while the crew was taking a piss break. All of a sudden they came hauling azzzzz back to the helo.

Seems as if one of the crew tossed some rocks and scared up a black bear. Sure enough, we lifted off and there was momma bear still making her way up the hill with two cubs.
 
I can relate Bluehair. The pic of the cats pushing tandem brings back memories, a few years back, one of are Highways along the coast (HWY 1) blew out like it does every time we have a decent rain year. I was working on a cut with a D-6 with a slope board cleaning up behind 2 D-9s, when I'd dive off the cut to go get fuel one of the guys would play dodge ball and roll boulders off at me when I was headed back up to the cut. I sort of had it coming to me. When I was up on the cut behind them I would shove boulders behind them to break up the boredom.
 
I would do that as a kid. We don’t have spots as good as that one but we would still try. The best one I did was at lake Powell as a kid. I walked up to the top of a sandstone cliff and threw the biggest rock I could find down. When it hit the sand below, it sounded like a bomb went off because we were in a cove. My dad and his buddy thought I fell off of the cliff and that put the kibosh to me doing it anymore.
 
What Kills Me is This:

Hunters Always Rolling Rocks off the Edges of Basins Thinking They'll Kick the Big Bucks up!

I Guess it Could Happen!

Most of Them Bucks Held their Ground & Laughed at alot of JACK-ASS Hunters!
 
What Kills Me is This:

Hunters Always Rolling Rocks off the Edges of Basins Thinking They'll Kick the Big Bucks up!

I Guess it Could Happen!

Most of Them Bucks Held their Ground & Laughed at alot of JACK-ASS Hunters!
I've throwed my share of rocks into the gully over the years. I don't remember ever flushing out a buck. :ROFLMAO:
 
I did it once where it worked, but not with boulders or rocks. It led to an underwear-soiling moment as a I result. I even did an article about it titled, "The Slingshot Buck." I'll type up a brief synopsis of the tale later today.
 
Many years ago...on Baxter Pass my dad use to roll rocks to get the bucks up. It worked. He was the best shot I have ever known...always in the head...with open sights.
Bluehair your photos of the Cats brings back many memories of mine reclamation projects. I have sold a bunch of em !
 
Many years ago...on Baxter Pass my dad use to roll rocks to get the bucks up. It worked. He was the best shot I have ever known...always in the head...with open sights.
Bluehair your photos of the Cats brings back many memories of mine reclamation projects. I have sold a bunch of em !
Sold what, CAT in CO? If so we probably have met.
 
Yes I was in the equipment business for abut 34 years. The last 12 or so mostly aggregate equipment. I started with CAT in Peoria out of college, had really bad allergies. Came back to CO & worked for an old (1914) dealer in CO, WY and SD. Started my own company & had some success. My son bought that company then after 12 years Wagner bought him out and he retired at age 50. I wasn't smart enough to do anything else. Did you know the Neilson's & Cal Rickel ? Bruce Wagner is a friend.
 
Bkuehair what did you you do for a living ? Jack Rust was a good friend...almost went to work for him back in the late 60's. Ddidn't want to move to ElPaso.
 
Check your pm’s. Jack was around still when I was in NM. And I know Bruce. I was their guest in Peoria (and other plants). I’ve still got some Big Al’s souvenirs around here somewhere. ;)
 

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