Creston man visits all 99 Freedom Rocks
Jun. 9—If the high gas prices are preventing people from, say driving to Yellowstone National Park this summer, a Creston man has another option that is closer, cheaper and has a different experience.
Since 1999, Ray "Bubba" Sorensen of Greenfield has painted what is called the Freedom Rock located on Highway 25 just south Interstate 80 exit 86. The rock is his pictorial memorial to fallen veterans. A new painting is applied to the 60 ton plus boulder each year. After getting much attention early on, with the backing of donations, Sorensen painted a rock in each of Iowa's 99 counties. He started in 2013 and finished in 2021. Sorensen is also a state representative.
Over seven years, Eric Snyder visited each of the 99 rocks. Not only does he have picture proof of his visits, he said it gave him an opportunity to learn more about Iowa and its places.
"I know we got all of them, all 99," he said.
Snyder, 52, served in the Army for eight years and said he respected his service. Snyder said he was moved by Sorensen's display of respect for those who have fallen.
"I went and saw his first ones in Greenfield," Snyder said about the original Highway 25 location.
When Snyder learned Sorensen was taking his project across the state, he wanted to follow.
Snyder's son Billy was born in 2013 and thought that would be a easy way to show his son some other places close to Union County.
"We got several of them in when he was 2, walking and babbling. He then started pointing at the rocks and flags and I thought, 'This might be a thing.' This could be a good way to see Iowa."
With a family, job and other commitments and interests, Snyder said he scheduled those visits in advance and in a way where he could efficiently visit multiple ones.
"If you want to put down our big weekend, it was Labor Day 2019. That was 722 miles, 17 counties all northwest to Lyon County," he said. Lyon County borders Minnesota to the north and South Dakota on the west. "We gassed up in Greenfield at 6 a.m." (It's about 1,012 miles from Creston to Yellowstone)
His first stop was in Elk Horn and went north toward Cherokee and had lunch in Spencer.
"We rode at Arnolds Park," he said about the amusement park at Lake Okoboji.
Snyder said Hawkeye Point, the highest elevation in the state at 1,670 feet above sea level, seems like it's just in someone's backyard. The plaque is about 4 miles outside of Sibley.
"We had 10 that day," he said. "When we finished that trip, I had nothing left to see (of the rocks) north of I-80 and west of I-35, with just a couple of exceptions. And I'll probably never be in Lyon County again."
The entire trip included 17 rocks.
Snyder said he then started keeping track of where he had been. A map of Iowa includes the pins used to note where the Freedom Rocks he had seen. Another trip was a northeast direction.
"We went to the Wisconsin Dells. So we planned to go to this one and this one, Waukon and Dubuque. We would also see the roadside attractions as we got these rocks knocked out," he said.
Snyder admitted that trip to Wisconsin's biggest tourist attraction may have taken two hours longer, "But it can be done. I spend a of Google map time," he said.
The last rock visited was last October. He contacted Sorensen's office and told them he has picture proof he'd been to each one.
"There was a guy by Stone City who claimed it too," he said he was told. "I can prove it if someone calls my bluff."
Sorensen puts some local, military history on each rock, if possible. Snyder said he could tell which counties have more military history, or have had a significant military contribution. Page County's rock includes native and Big Band leader Glenn Miller who served and died in World War II. Page County also has a Medal of Honor recipient in Vernon Baker for his efforts in World War II. Dallas County's rock north of Adel has a dedication to Nile Kinnick. He won the 1939 Heisman trophy playing football at the University of Iowa and died in World War II.
"I can't say I have a favorite rock," Snyder said. "Some are not as intricate as others. Some have a POW (prisoner of war) or KIA (killed in action.)
Snyder said the trips also gave him a chance to see other Iowa towns and areas.
"Clear Lake is awesome. It's beautiful," he said. "Pella, Orange City; there are some very nice, crime-free towns. You can walk to your car from the theater and don't have to worry about people running amuck an throwing beer bottles from their window."
Snyder said he enjoyed not using the traditional highways to get to some of the places.
"You think you know Iowa," he rhetorically said. "You got to get off the beaten path and see the back roads."
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