I have never seriously thought that falling rocks could be a problem. When Jan and I have made our road trips across Colorado and to more distant places we have occasionally noticed signs warning of "Falling Rock." We have made light of these with comments such as, "I don't see any falling rock," or "Okay, what do we do if we see one?"

And then the unthinkable happened. Tomasz Heczko was climbing with a friend near U.S. 6 in Clear Creek Canyon, Jefferson County, a few weeks ago. (Rocky Mountain News, 9th July, 2006) He returned to his parked car to find it had literally been turned into road pizza by a huge falling boulder - which, technically I suppose, is a very large rock. When I saw the front-page photograph of Tomasz and his pan caked Toyota Camry I went into momentary shock. I silently wondered if he had parked near a "Falling Rock" sign and had cavalierly ignored it. All those times I had made fun of the "Falling Rock" signs. How often had I risked my life, and the lives of my loved ones, by ignoring that subtle warning? Oh foolish me. As if this news wasn't bad enough: Tomasz didn't have comprehensive auto insurance. He truly is an example of a real-life Chicken Little.

Last week, Jan and I made our annual trip to Crested Butte to see nature's incredible display of wildflowers. We drove through Canon City and along the Arkansas River on Highway 50 to Gunnison. This route goes through beautiful Big Horn Sheep Canyon to Salida and then over Monarch Pass to Gunnison. Funny, but I didn't recall ever having seen so many "Falling Rock" signs on previous trips. But this time was different. Now we were forewarned. Incidentally, we did see Big Horn Sheep in Big Horn Sheep Canyon.

We stopped along the highway and I retrieved my camera and tripod from the back seat. I wanted to take a photo of a "Falling Rock" sign to use in an article about "Falling Rock" signs. After all, if I could save one more Toyota Camry, or one life, I was determined to take action. I am nothing if not a civic minded, caring, YourHub.com blogger.

I set up my tripod and took time to compose a photograph of a "Falling Rock" sign. As I took the photo, a rock actually did fall. I captured it in the image. What a miraculous thing! (See photograph of a rock falling by the "Falling Rock" sign.) I kid you not. Who could make this stuff up? Luckily it did not hit us, or the camera, or our Toyota Camry.

So, now, I share this with YourHub.com readers in the hope that "Falling Rock" signs may be taken more seriously in future. Who cares if it is a "Falling Boulder" or a "Falling Rock?" Let's not get too caught up in the semantics here. And make sure your auto policy contains a "Falling Rock" clause.