Road hazards

The dry wind of an Indian summer today left a tree across the two southbound lanes of Highway 17 this morning. The conifer's tip encroached a bit on the southbound side, the direction I was going. We had one and a half lanes in which to dodge the obstruction, so I was delayed only a bit, but the southbound traffic was all but stopped. A few brave southbound drivers wound around under the base of it, on the right shoulder. It didn't look as though anyone was hurt, though it must have been fairly fresh, since not much traffic had accumulated behind it and no work crew was in evidence working its way towards the fallen log.

This marks the beginning of what will doubtless prove to be another adventurous winter of commuting over that mountain. In dryness and daylight, it's a lovely, if curvy, road. In pouring rain and darkness, it is treacherous. When it is wet, the mountain drops rock and wet earth onto the road, and out from under it. It is best, for these reasons, to travel in the inside lane: the problem is more likely to be near the edges. Please drive safely, and I will try to do the same.