Crowd Gathers as Giant Rock Departs

It takes an hour to make a single turn
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 29, 2012 2:16 PM CST
Crowd Gathers as Giant Rock Departs
Workers get ready to transport a 340-ton boulder Tuesday in Jurupa Valley, Calif.   (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

It's not every day you get to see someone move a 340-ton rock, so a crowd of more than 150 people showed up last night to see the "Big Rock" begin its 105-mile journey from a quarry to the Los Angeles County Museum, the LA Times reports. The rock was shrink-wrapped in white cellophane, and bedecked with around 300 string lights as its massive transport set off. A food truck was on hand serving barbeque to the throng of museum workers, art lovers, reporters, and police escorts there for the occasion.

At last, the mammoth boulder began its trip—moving at speeds up to (buckle up) 5 miles per hour. Workers could keep up with the 200-foot-long, 2-lane-wide transport on foot. Even those speeds seemed speedy, however, when the transport reached its first turn, which took it more than an hour to complete. "We learned a few things there," says the project manager, "so that we don't get into that pickle again." The trip is expected to take another 10 nights or so. (More Los Angeles County Museum of Art stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X