An Inconvenient Rock

Back in my Jacksonville days, I used to play poker with a rookie reporter named Brad Schmidt. He was the smartest player in our group, although, for some reason, that rarely translated into victory. Funny how games of chance work. (He also played for the Times-Union Freebirds, a spirited but outmanned rec-league hoops team, and I seem to recall him hitting a baseline jumper or two.) Anyway, Brad's at the Oregonian now, and I think he's beginning to hit his stride. Check out this piece:

CASCADE LOCKS — Along the most traveled hiking path in the Columbia River Gorge, there is a cliff, formed more than 10 million years ago from lava and mud, that was home to one big rock.

The slab of rock was per…