I have to admit, I like the river rock look around a pond. River rock always looks more natural than flag stone or that busted up retainer wall type of rock. I live here in the Northwest where we have many mountain streams and rivers. I like to use use my imagination when I look at someones pond, and wonder to myself, what could they have done in their pre-planning stage to incorporate big & small river rock like I see around here in the Cascade Mountain? My pond is small, but I have come up with a bit of another look using oblong river rocks standing on end around my pond, and arranged to create some kind of balance along with the wooley thyme, and irish moss. I managed to pick up most of my more interesting river rock down in Oregon at the Molalla River near my youngest sons home.
A buddy of mine from back in HS worked as an intern for the fish/game and wildlife management division and was stationed in the Eugene, OR area for a while. Out in the boonies in that area, they surveyed streams for fish habitat and ecology reasons. They ran into something rather bizarre. "Rock Stackers". Some very reclusive and unseen individuals were living out in the woods and hills and mountains and they had a weird ritual. They would gather and stack rocks into pillars in the stream beds for some unknown reason.
I just thought about this since OldMarine mentioned Oregon. It has nothing much to do with collecting rocks for your pond, but I found it amusing and rather strange.
However, I like the idea that OldMarine has stated regarding natural river rock. To me, using such rock is just more appealing and natural looking. Not to forget to mention that it is the fun of the "hunt" that provides inspiration and a sense of "personality" to the pond. Each rock that you find on a hiking trip and add to your pond holds a special sense of history and a story of its own. For example, there is a glacial till bluff just up the river from my cabin. When I take a boat ride up that way, I always look for a new exposed rock to take home. Sometimes there can be so many that the boat could sink if I loaded them all up. One year, there was a HUGE bolder exposed that was as large as a whole dumptruck. That was unusual here in eastern Nebraska where rocks are scarce. I didn't put that one in my boat! LOL
But, it is special to pick up a small 20-60 pound rock from that bluff and haul it home once in a while. Each rock has a story of its own that way, a memory of one simple trip up the river and a piece of ancient history.
Gordy
