These Rocks Are Ready to Roll

As the legendary Langston Hughes put it, I’ve known rivers, deep, dark, musky rivers.  Thanks, Mr. Hughes but, having lived in the Meadows as I have for  several decades, I’ve known rivers, too – rivers and rivers and rivers of water during the annual river-like rainfall that we residents of the hill country experience each year.  Topping that off was the indescribable river of water that thundered down the mountainside a couple of years back in the aftermath of the Station Fire.  Remember that?   OK, I guess you could say that, given the Station Fire, I’ve seen fire and  I’ve seen …...  rain.  Come to think of it, in my many years as a resident of Altadena,  I’m certain that I have also seen earth, wind and fire.

But, here’s what I really want to tell you and it’s a story you probably won’t believe.  But, I have pictures 

Those of you who travel up Canyon Crest Road into the Meadows and who,  live in the Meadows as I do, are probably aware of the periodic splattering of minor rocks and pebbles falling from the hillside that litter the roadway.  Not driving along the road at the time the rocks are falling, some of us tend to glance at them, make the sign of the cross in thanksgiving that they missed us and we missed them. We just drive around them and that’s that.  We satisfy ourselves knowing that County Road Department will come by sooner or later and whisk them away.  But, …….one day I noticed something odd, something that seemed quite strange.  It began suddenly one day when I gave a casual glance in the direction of the numerous, humungous, super-sized boulders located along the roadway. Although I’ve had my eye on them through the years, observing how majestic and serene they appeared at times, under the trees and adjacent to the creek, recently, I’ve noticed something very odd about them.  Lurking among the shadows of the trees, they now appeared to be staring back at me in a somewhat sneering, threatening manner.  Amazingly, they seemed to be exhibiting a….. sense of freedom and a kind of…… swagger that I had never seen in boulders before.  Seemingly biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike, to show all of us a thing or two, these incredible hunks have the capability to become monsters of our roadway whenever they choose, decide, or whatever they do to break themselves loose and take our one-way in/one-way out roadway captive.    It also appears that they were somehow able to remove  an alarming amount of the soil underpinning that held them in restraint and kept them from charging down onto Canyon Crest Road, wreaking havoc and, crushing any number of unsuspecting drivers.  Wow!  I thought, what a mess that would be.  Hmmmm, I wondered.  Just how were these big boys able to remove so much soil unnoticed by anyone?  Did they have an accomplice?  How did this change come about?  What will happen next?  Are their intentions honorable?  Who will be their first victims?  Unable to keep my panic in check, all sorts of bizarre ideas went through my head as I went down my checklist of possible resources, while trying to talk myself down.  Does the Town Council know about this, too?  Why haven’t they said anything?  Do they any power to help us - yes/no/maybe/will get back to me soon?  T. Shack?  I thought, what if the the Road Department can't handle it if called in?  What about the Fifth District office?  Do I reside in the Fifth District?  Well, yes, of course, the Meadows is part of Altadena, which is part of the Fifth District.  Maybe I should talk to City Hall?  No, won't work, I said.  We're not a city, yet!  Where is the Patch and the Altadena Blog when we need them?  Mountain Rescue, check in, please!  Does JPL have any ideas?  Steve, Steve!  Come back, Steve.  What, a meeting at the Coffee Gallery!  Oh, boy, fine time.  I began to shout: Hello, hello, is ANYONE out there???  Does ANYBODY hearrrr meeee???     

Finally, calming myself, I took pictures thinking that there must be someone who will believe me and do something before it’s too late.  This serious.  These rocks are ready to roll and we don't know the hour or the day!  

Maybe, just maybe someone out there will see this article and do something.  And, I have pictures.