Be careful, your mom is watching

We are now going to get an investigation by the California Department of Transportation into the factors involved in the three deaths which happened quickly after the Angeles Crest (2) Highway was re-opened in June (“Crest deaths prompt an investigation,” July 3).

One man, according to the article, was drunk while driving his car and this was said to be the cause of his crash. A second man was killed when he drove his car off the road. “It was a deliberate act, as far as we can tell,” said a California Highway Patrol Officer.

A third man was killed riding his motorcycle at a high rate of speed. A number of other accidents have occurred in June on the highway also.

These three deaths have all been attributed to either drunk driving, possible suicide and driving too fast. To commission a study as to why people are dying on Highway 2 is not necessary.

Look at the facts surrounding these deaths. People will drive beyond their limits, with impaired faculties. And if they want to kill themselves using their vehicles, they will continue to do so, no matter how many studies are done or precious resources — i.e. money — are wasted.

I have a suggestion. At each entrance to the Angeles Crest Highway, I would post a big sign which says: “You are entering onto a highway where your stupid and dangerous driving habits will get you killed — and, by the way, your mother is watching.”

That’ll work.

Dean Briggs

Glendale

Exploring while staying at home

My husband and I looked forward to our retirement years because we could travel. But along came very high gas prices and a reduced ability to afford things like cruises or airline travel. We realized we had to be creative and lower our expectations.

The Angeles Crest Highway suffered so much damage from the rain that it has been closed for a very long time. We wondered how it would be to take a drive as far as we could go.

We packed water and cameras and drove along. We were pleasantly surprised at the excellent condition of the road. We love being out in nature and seeing awesome scenery.

We came upon one group of dump trucks that were busily scooping up loose dirt in one spot. This was not a problem, as the drivers cheerfully waved us around them. We were the only car most of the way.

We were so amazed at the beautiful scenery. The wildflowers were abundant. We saw great numbers of plants in various shades of yellow, plants in the blue family, some red and some pink.

Totally awesome to see the Yucca stalks so tall. We drove all the way to Palmdale. Both sides of the road were an amazing crazy quilt of colors.

We had a quick bite at the In-N-Out in Palmdale and headed back down. We decided to see what the road was like driving home going down Big Tujunga Canyon. This was yet another excellent road running along the Tujunga Wash. I thought about how the area must have looked with the water running wild as it does in times of heavy rainfall.

I guess this doesn’t sound like an exciting mini-vacation, but we were relaxed and happy some hours later when we pulled into our driveway. We agree that those expensive vacations were fun, but we can have fun on a shoe string and enjoy an adventure.

If we just look around, we can find adventures in our own communities and we will be refreshed. We have also visited the Arboretum and Huntington Gardens. Another positive thing about travel in our community is that we keep the dollars in our own backyard.

The Auto Club produces booklets about attractions to be found in numerous communities. We usually get one about the place where we will travel. We realized we could get the booklet about our own area as if we were tourists looking for interesting attractions.

Margaret Rice

Glendale