Photos courtesy of Chuck and Claudia Lucas
Rocky made the rounds this past summer, visiting the Grand Portage National Monument as well as a host of other sites in the county. Chuck and Claudia discovered Rocky on the beach near the Grand Marais RV park and adopted him. Judging from his grin, Rocky is one happy rock.
Chuck and Claudia Lucas from Burnsville, Minnesota, have an unusual new friend, Rocky, who is mute.
Actually, Rocky is more than a friend. You don’t take friends with you every place you go, and Rocky certainly goes where the Lucas couple goes.
Chuck and Claudia have been coming to Grand Marais for their anniversary for the past 20 years or so, staying at a variety of bed and breakfasts, resorts, inns, motels and hotels.
Five years ago the couple purchased an RV trailer and began staying at the Grand Marais RV Park and Campground. The first four years were great, but this year was even better. This year they found, “a special treasure,” said Claudia.
They noticed Rocky when they were searching for heart-shaped stones on the eastern side of the recreation park beach. He was living on the beach, homeless, but apparently okay because he had a wide happy smile plastered across his little basalt and rhyolite face when they found him.
“As it is our custom, we look for heart-shaped rocks to celebrate our anniversary (52 years on August 12). My husband (and Rocky) sent me on a scavenger hunt on our anniversary to find my card on one of the trails at the RV park,” said Claudia.
“We spend from 8 to 10 days usually at Grand Marais Municipal Campground. We like to return in the winter to see what it’s like up there.”
Chuck retired from IBM in 2011 as a buyer of information systems hardware. He now works two days a week at Fleet Farm. Claudia retired from her RN position in an OBGYN Clinic in 2018. The couple have lived in Burnsville since 1975 and prior to that lived in Prior Lake, Bloomington, and Richfield since 1968.
As for Rocky, one might say he is the literal “rock” in the Lucas couple relationship.
“Rocky is our treasured naturally formed smiley faced rock,” Claudia said. “We had fun taking photos of Rocky at various favorite places around Grand Marais, including the Chik-Wauk museum, Blue Water Cafe, the pow wow in Grand Portage, the fort and museum at Grand Portage, and on the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais.
“Rocky is part of our family now so he will be present in our Christmas pictures. Our kids and grandsons have also welcomed Rocky into our family. I even got to introduce Rocky to my maid of honor at my wedding (52 years ago) who recently visited our home in Burnsville.”
Rocky is small, weighing around 3 ounces. “We find joy in the simple things in life. God is good!
“We hope you love your city like we do, and Rocky says it all with his smile,” said Claudia.
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