The valley endured another week of modest disorder, most of it involving the highway and the animals who decline to respect it. The dispatch log, as ever, records the facts and spares us the drama.
At 11:18 in the morning on July 17th, a traffic hazard presented itself where Highway 12 meets the Route 101 connector. Its precise nature was not recorded, leaving the matter to the imagination, where it will remain.
Two days later, at 3:46 in the afternoon, another hazard was reported on Highway 12 at Fulton Road. The interval between the two suggested nothing in particular, which did not stop observers from suggesting things anyway.
The following morning, July 20th, at 10:27, the westbound lanes near the northbound 101 connector produced a hazard of their own. The eastbound and westbound stretches of the highway thus achieved a rare parity of inconvenience within the same week.
That same afternoon, at 2:33, an animal—whether live or dead was the whole of the question—was noted at the junction of Stage Gulch Road and Arnold Drive. The log offered no further clarification, and neither shall we.
At 10:15 that night, an animal hazard was reported where Arnold Drive meets Highway 12. The hour was late and the details few, which is often how the valley’s four-legged residents prefer to conduct their business.
The week closed on July 21st at 1:11 in the afternoon, with an animal hazard near Warm Springs Road. Three animal incidents in as many days is a run that any local naturalist might have predicted, had anyone thought to ask them.
The Blotter is compiled from public California Highway Patrol dispatch logs for the Highway 12 corridor and the valley’s roads; only minor incidents are included. In an emergency, always call 911.