Rocksy the Rock Snake: Stirring Up Stone-Cold Fun in Housing

The day Rocksy was born, June 2. 2025 with Reese (age 5) and McKay (age 3).

It was a bright and windy summer day in northwest North Dakota when a glimmering green stripe slithered its way onto Minot AFB. Was it a nuanced garter snake? A DakRat in disguise, playing one more trick on the local residents? No. It was something far less annoying and way more fun (and less harmful to property!).


It was Rocksy, the painted rock chain snake, created by MAFB resident Macy Humiston.


Macy decided to create Rocksy after seeing a similar idea online. “I knew my kids would love it,” she said. Macy and her husband, Captain Andrew Humiston (5 MG), have lived on base with their three children for two years. Although they don’t claim to love everything about Minot, Macy shared that the experience of living in such extreme weather has “been an adventure.”


The idea behind Rocksy is to bring the community together in a fun and creative way. Everyone on base is invited to bring a painted rock, add it to Rocksy’s growing body, and help him stretch longer and longer. Macy said her kids absolutely love checking on Rocksy every day to see if anyone has added to him. They especially enjoy finding rocks with the names and ages of other kids written on them, so she encourages everyone to keep doing that if they’d like.
Although the Humistons had never created a painted rock snake before, Macy said it’s been the highlight of her kids’ summer, and she plans to start one wherever they go next.


Rocksy’s head starts at the corner of Rockridge Circle and Peacekeeper Street, near the bus stop. He currently winds around Rockridge and has grown to about 150 painted rocks long. While Macy didn’t have a specific goal in mind when she started Rocksy, she’d love to see him grow as long as possible. A new dream? To see him wrap all the way around Rockridge Circle.


When asked what might happen when the weather turns cold and the sun can no longer warm this cold-blooded creature, Macy said no decisions have been made yet. Rocksy may need to be dismantled before the snow flies, but perhaps he could be relocated somewhere else on base to live on?


While Rocksy’s fate remains uncertain, one thing is clear this summer: he wants to grow as long as snakily possible! Everyone on base is encouraged to paint a rock and add to his cheerful, quirky body. Join this unique and silly (but heartwarming!) community project and help Rocksy become the longest—and quite possibly the only—painted rock snake in MAFB housing history!

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