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Taking the back roads is a trait I inherited from my dad.
As a kid I recall jumping into the Rambler or the F150 and enjoying the scenery to wherever we were going. While the destination was the same, the route changed each time.
Now years later I have driven at least a dozen different routes to and from my daughter and son-in-law’s farm just outside of Schaller, Iowa.
I’ve enjoyed the sights of the Iowa barn quilts, the corn and soybean crops, and various livestock. I have also noticed the large painted boulders located in a few of the Iowa communities I’ve passed through.
A Google search revealed that these boulders are called “Freedom Rocks” and are located in 85 out of the 99 counties in Iowa. The mural painted on each rock is unique to the veterans located in that county.
The artist, Ray Sorenson II, designed the rocks as “puzzle pieces,” with each rock representing a specific story of Iowa’s military history. The boulders, when taken as a whole, paint various pictures of Iowans’ involvement in various wars and conflicts. Driving tours take place each summer to view the stones.
One boulder I see frequently is located in Holstein, Iowa.
The Ida County Freedom Rock is located along Highway 20, and on special occasions it’s surrounded by 430 American flags that make up the Avenue of Flags, where the boulder rests.
Artist Sorenson lives in Greenfield, Iowa, and finished painting the Ida County rock in 2017.
The scenes that Sorenson depicted are both colorful and stunning.
One side features the likenesses of five area veterans killed in the line of duty from 1918 to 1969. A sixth soldier salutes the one flag that flies 24/7/365 next to the rock.
A depiction of an American flag drapes over the rock, and on one end of the flag a portion of the poem “In Flanders Field” is painted. It reads:
“In Flanders field the poppies blow
Between the crosses row by row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly …”
A head of an eagle and a World War II B25 aircraft complete the larger paintings on the boulder.
Closer inspection finds a graffiti sign of a man with a long nose peering over a wall with the statement, “Kilroy was Here.” Soldiers would draw the popular war logo in unlikely places to reference that they were there first.
As a resident of Rock County, I can appreciate the effort it took to move each rock into place. I also appreciate the artistry Sorenson shows by incorporating the rock’s rippled and dimpled surface into the paintings.
For me, stopping at these Freedom Rocks is an interesting way to take a few minutes and stretch my legs while learning a little history. It is a great tribute to our military members and loved ones this Veterans Day — or any day for that matter — by taking roads less traveled.