Saturday, July 25, 2009

The road is paved with good intentions


As you have probably figured out already, most of my worldly -- and wordy -- attention goes into covering animals.

But once in a while, I come across a story about interesting human beings that I can’t resist telling.

Today I was cruising along on the Sea to Sky Highway, which connects Vancouver to Whistler Mountain. I was thinking about the Olympian athletes who will be jumping, twirling and triumphing at next year’s Winter Games.

The highway is home to many projects this summer as the province spruces up its trail into the mountains, getting the route into shape for the expected onslaught of visitors.

That’s when I came upon a stunning and unusual piece of artwork. Stunning because of its massive size. Unusual because of its location and the probable identity of the rebel artist.

Most likely a construction worker.

The giant boulders -- much too heavy to lift without a piece of heavy machinery -- had been carefully placed in a pattern along the roadside, arranged as if to delight the motorists driving by. The renegade rock art reminded me of England’s Stonehenge, or an Inukshuk built by Inuit to mark trails.

It will probably be gone by the time the Olympians get here. But at least I got to see it.


Look at the surveyor on the left side of the photo to give you perspective on the size of the boulders.

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