Western Cable Services | Western Cable Enterprises | Action Flash Barricade

Photos my father took.  

These are some of the “fancy” trucks that my dad and his younger brother owned for their company, Western Cable Services.  They certainly weren’t at the point yet of buying new large equipment.  They usually picked up used vehicles and equipment at military or utility company auctions.  Not in the best shape, yet generally still useable and fixable.  

I remember the three trucks below and drove them all at some point.   

My dad and uncle chose tan as the company vehicle color, obviously with some exceptions.   If I recall correctly, the yellow one was purchased at a Southern California Edison auction.  They took it in to get a cheap tan paint job and were told there’s no way that tan paint could cover that yellow, so they had it repainted a similar yellow to cover scratches and such.

 The middle lineman’s/installer’s truck came from Pacific Telephone.  At the time, their trucks were originally painted dark green (what looks like a thin yellow cover is actually a canopy structure at a neighboring property behind the truck).  The utility bed on the back was interesting.   You can see a slight dome shape over the front of the bed.  The bed had an open design, but the metal roof had sections that slid open and closed.  Inside the bed along the sides were various sized metal storage cabinets and drawers.  There was a pipe rack added to it when it came to Western Cable.  You can see that brace coming up off the right front bumper.  The rack was used for two things.  First, it held conduit pieces that were used on telephone poles when the cable TV line ended at a pole and transitioned to underground.  The cable was put in the conduit and attached to the pole to protect it.  The rack also held boring pipe for when they had to bore under a street.   They removed the manual crank up extension ladder that had been mounted on the truck.  The little bump on top of the cab contained a sealed roof mirror that could be adjusted inside the cab.  When the crank up extension ladder was originally on the truck, this allowed the operator to raise and extend the ladder to generally line it up with a pole or somewhere mid-span, and then the operator could back up the truck, watching the mirror, to hit his target.   The mirror on this truck was essentially useless for our company’s needs.  They did have a couple trucks that left the ladder in place for use.  I just haven’t found any photos of them.   

The final truck of the three was a flatbed truck for general use.  One photo shows a fourth truck, a trusty old pickup truck.  I don’t remember that one.   Wouldn’t be a kick to own any of these now, restore them, and take them to car shows?  

I don’t know where in Southern California the photos below were taken, the location don’t look familiar to me, but I would have been in school when these were taken.   

I do remember the trucks and the old red air compressor.  

Although they ended up eventually buying at least a couple Ditch Witch trenchers (originally used, then new), I don’t know if the one pictured was owned by them or rented. 

I don’t remember when the Ford pickups were acquired, but it was probably sometime in late 1968 or early 1969.

 

My uncle and dad purchased or leased two identical new tan Ford pickup trucks (Maybe that’s why they picked tan for the other trucks?  I don’t know.)  They were standard models.  No air conditioning, AM radios, crank windows, 6 cylinder engines, no power anything, with a three-speed manual transmission stick on the column. 

These two Ford pickups are 5^th generation, which covered 1967-1972, and my dad bought a new 1969 Chevrolet El Camino (tan of course) after he needed to give his pickup truck to a foreman on large contract.  You were just a little thing, yet when we lived in Madera, dad loaned it to me and I drove it for a while, so the El Camino had to be at least eleven years or so old at that time.  Another car I wish I still had! 

After my dad and uncle went their separate ways, dad wanted a similar name as Western Cable Services and took my suggestion of Western Cable Enterprises.  He also changed the logo for his new company from a triangle to a series of three green overlapping boxes that contained the company name.  Nothing fancy, but it worked.   I think I saw one of his old business cards a couple weeks ago amongst all this stuff I’m going through but can’t find it at the moment (I have stacks of stuff around me I’m working through).  I'll edit this post should I find it, or a photo that includes it.   

During construction projects, they rented barricades to put along the road in the construction site.  They were pretty darn basic at the time.  These days you see orange barrels or the thin plastic delineators with a heavy base blocking off lanes.  Western Cable even occasionally used some of the original road flares, which were basically metal round balls with a flat bottom, filled with non-explosive fuel (diesel fuel maybe) with a very thick wick on the top.  You could light them at the end of the day, and they would burn a flame all night long, acting like warning lights along the construction zone.  They were stinky and smokey, to the point the heavy black smoke sometimes negated their safety factor.   

As the products improved, they got safer.  In the picture here, you can see in the background one of the more standard barricades of the time.  

The original version was made of wood, designed like a sawhorse, and was extremely heavy.  The next generation were like this one and used angle metal for the frame/legs rather than heavy full 3”x4” wooden frames.  About the time my dad and uncle decided to go their separate ways, my dad came up with a way to hopefully save money and make a little extra too.  I mentioned renting the barricades was normal, but it was costly, and my dad didn’t like some of the renters.  So, he decided to start his own barricade company too.  This allowed him to purchase barricades from the manufacturer at a discounted price and occasionally rent them out if his construction business was slow.

I don’t remember the name of the former barricade company in Ventura that my dad didn’t like, but the name started with a letter near the beginning of the alphabet.  Calling dad’s barricade company something like “Western Barricade” didn’t cut it for him.  Why?  Because of the telephone book.  Companies were listed by category in the yellow pages, then alphabetically.  He didn’t want to be listed after the competitor, especially being a new company.  He was searching for names, and I (as a brilliant Junior High school student, hahaha!) came up with the name, Action Flash Barricade.  The name put it at the beginning of the yellow pages category listing, and my dad used it.   The barricade above was one of the original ones he purchased.  The removable blinking light on top took two lantern batteries.  Barricades without lights were fine only for day use.  Ones with flashers needed to be used at night, and were rented at a higher cost.  There was a small hole on the side of the weather resistant battery case where you could stick a long skinny poker (like the long end of an Allen wrench, only with a loop to use on keyrings) through the hole to push a switch to turn the blinking light on when used at night, and off when the sun was out.  Although, most workers never bothered to turn them on and off, so the batteries wore out faster than they should.  Stealing the blinking lights themselves became a thing then, so a security bolt was created to hold it onto the barricade.  I had a couple of new ones in my bedroom that flashed constantly 24 hours.  So cool….hahaha!  Also, on the one above, the name and phone number for Action Flash Barricade were painted below the word “CAUTION.”  This allowed law enforcement or public works to contact us at any time in case one got damaged, stolen, or needed to be replaced or serviced.  On the lower panel, it was a routine thing to stencil the name of the company renting the barricade.  Here, it says dad’s company name, Western Cable. 

Later, my dad started purchasing a different type of barricade.  The new ones were pretty fancy for the time.  The one shown here is the only photo I have found of one.  

It was made of all metal and was much lighter than the wood ones.  Plus, they were slimmer so more could be stacked onto a truck or trailer.  The top panel was a piece of sheet metal with the blinker light built into it, so there wasn’t a removable blinker to steal.  The metal legs spread like the original ones to allow for stability.  The small box on top held a single lantern battery for the blinking lamp.   A countersunk Allen screw secured the battery in the box.  Plus, it had a sensor to turn the blinker light on and off automatically for night and day. 

While working for my dad, one of my unpaid tasks included maintaining these barricades.  This included repainting the yellow bottom panel and stenciling the names of renters on it if they were rented out to someone else.  If my dad lost a cable tv construction contract to a competitor, he’d usually offer them a cut rate for renting barricades from us so he could reap a little income off the contract, plus it gave him an excuse to go to their job site and watch the competitor work.  If the barricades were in a reasonable driving distance of our home in Ventura, it was usually me going out to a job site after school or weekends as needed.  I’d sometimes go out and drive through after dark to ensure the lights were working, the barricades weren’t pulled out of place, and replace batteries or whole barricades as needed.  We also rented construction signs and traffic cones.  In fact, just a year or so ago, I donated the last dozen or so old traffic cones to our church in Clovis.

  

1972 Buena High School, Ventura, Calif. Senior Photo

 

I graduated from high school in June 1972, so I presume this photo was taken in the fall of 1971.  

Jeff Holland Photography on East Main Street in Ventura was the place to get the the photos taken.  I went with my mother for the sitting, and later to review the proofs.  As with any set of proofs, some you like and some deserve going into "round file" forever.

This photo was not picked to be my senior photo.  It was supposed to be trashed.  My mother thought it was fine, but I didn't like the way my bottom lip was pushed out as compared to all the other photos.  Yet, this was the final product and the the one that ended up in the yearbook too.  

Fifty plus years later, does it still bother me?  Not as much as before.  But I still remember being very disappointed about it at the time.  

January 4, 2025 Photo Dump

Scanning some photographs today.  Most of these are from Polaroids or matt finished photos, hence the clarity isn't the best.  

Here's what I know about each one.

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Mom, Dorothy Stone, probably mid-late 1970s while in Palm Springs with my father, Raymond Stone.

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Ray and Dottie Stone, at our home at 10876 Galvin, Ventura, CA celebrating something.  Likely my father's birthday on June 6 in the mid to late 1970s.

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Probably the fall of 1975 or winter of early 1976.  Me, crashed out on my bed at our Ventura home with new puppy Sandy.  Jeannette and I had take a quick trip, maybe even a day trip, from Ventura to Morro Bay.  While walking on a mostly empty beach, this puppy came up to us. We asked around a lot for anyone who might know the puppy, and couldn't find anyone who recognized it or any friends who had puppies.  We couldn't find anywhere to leave the puppy, so I took it home to Ventura after leaving information with others on how to find me so I could return it.  On the way home, we named it Sandy (since it was found on the beach).  It was a cocker spaniel mix, heavy on the cocker spaniel.  We never heard from anyone about the dog.  

My mother bonded with it very strongly.  So much so, that 2-3 years later when Jeannette and I bought our first home, my mom didn't want to give it up--and we let her keep it.  

Sandy in the backyard of the Galvin Street home.  

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Looks like my 21st birthday celebration at our home in Ventura.  My mom, me, and girlfriend (future wife) Jeannette Jarvis.  

Is that leftover steak on the table?  

Oh, the shame!  Hahaha!!

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This is Aldine and Ernest "Ern" Sillers.  He came from Nova Scotia, Canada, and if I recall correctly, she was from Boston or close by.  She certainly had the New England accent throughout her life.  They never had children.  He was actually my mother's uncle, Violet's brother.  

"Uncle Ern" was a Father in the Episcopal church, rising to the level of Bishop.  Uncle Ern was fun and funny guy.  A quick, respectful, and quiet wit.  He planted churches that still survive.  The one I remember best is St Marks Episcopal Church, 10354 Downey Ave, Downey, CA 90241, http://stmarksdowney.org . 

We usually went to there home for Thanksgiving (just behind the church at 8355 Bigby Ave, Downey, CA 90241).  After the meal and while Aunt Aldine and my mother would clean up, Uncle Ern would take me for a walk around and through the church telling me interesting and funny stories.  

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The photo below was marked on the back, Thanksgiving 1977.  The two most recognizable people in it for me is my Uncle Ernest "Ern" Sillers, and seated to his left with her hand on her chin is his sister and my maternal grandmother Violet Rodgers (mom's mother).  

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Anna Creelman in front of her home in Camarillo, California.  Her husband was Aubrey Creelman.  They originally owned a number of acres of land in Camarillo for growing avocados.  I don't know how my mother knew them.  I think they were close friends with my grandmother or grandfather.  

We visited them a time or two a year.  By then, they had sold off most of their orchards, and only had an acre or two left.  Dad would get as many avocados as he wanted.  Aubrey was a typical farmer/rancher, smart, witty, and cleverly handy with tools.  I still have and use some of tools that he marked with green paint.  

This one is marked July 4, 1977.  I don't recognize the location.  In it is my mother, Dorothy Stone, Fred Petrasek, and Virginia Petrasek.  My mother and Virginia went to U.C. Santa Barbara together, and were truly like sisters from different parents.   We visited them often at thier home in Sherman Oaks.  Laura was my age.  Allan is a year or two younger.  They are the ones who let me go on most of their summer 1969 vacation in a Winnebago.  We went to the east coast, saw the launch of Apollo 11, and then I eventually flew home from Providence, Rhode Island.  

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Graduation from Buena High School, Ventura, California, June 1972.

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Unknown formal dance or prom in Ventura, California.  "Proud mom" photos.   The scanned photos don't show it well, but my tuxedo was very dark Navy blue in color.  I don't recall who I went with or which dance this was though.  

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One my mother did mark was this photo from May 1974.  The young lady is Karen Grahek.  We dated for a while, and I loved hanging out with her and her family, who were some good pranksters.  I think in another post, I showed an embroidered shirt of my blue 1973 VW Sport Bug that she did for me.  Like people do, we went our separate ways in life, and both became our own.  

Oddly enough, it wasn't until the destructive Thomas Fire Ventura in December 2017 that I learned that her and her husband's home was just a couple houses away from my parent's former home.  Sadly, both homes were lost.  My parent's had passed away by then, but Karen and her husband lost everything.  

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1975 Chevrolet LUV (Light Utility Vehicle) pickup truck.  I bought it new, and very stripped, from the Chevrolet dealer in Ojai, California.  Jeannette was with me.  I ended up modifying it a lot, as you can see.  White spoke rims, and slight lift in the rear, and an awesome BMB Camper Shell (Fillmore, CA).  

I was part of a truck club called Lil Truckers Ltd.  The jacket I'm wearing was the club jacket.  

The wrinkle on the side of the truck in front of the rear wheel well happened in the parking lot of Save-On Drugs, at Victoria/Telegraph Roads in Ventura.  Jeannette had borrowed my truck, and as she backed out of a stall to leave, someone else backed out of their spot and tagged the truck.  I played hell getting the truck fixed by the guy who did it.  It took a while, but finally got it squared away.  

My father's small aluminum fishing boat is in the background.

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Some Polaroid photos my parents (Ray and Dorothy Stone) took of each other on the patio of their home at 10876 Galvin, Ventura, CA.  I'm guessing about 1980.  Sandy, the dog, had aged a few years.  

The patio cover they had installed was large and really nice.  The folding chairs in the background of one of the photos were aluminum framed with redwood slats.  I don't think I've ever sat in a more comfortable folding patio chair.  

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Probably about 1981-1983, my father relaxing at their home at 941 Scenic Way Drive, Ventura (the one that burned down in the Thomas Fire after they sold it and had passed away).  This was in the "den" that was on the south side of the house.  From that vantage, you could look out the back sliding glass door and enjoy a great view of the Santa Clara River Valley with the Pacific Ocean in the distance.  A nice way to fall asleep.  

David Stone, Ventura Police Department

My recent post about an electrical extension cord was rooted in a response to a Facebook post on a Ventura lifestyle page   

One person who replied to my comment originally thought I was a different David Stone   Yeah, it’s a common name and it happens.  We actually had two working at Lumber City for a while.  One was me, and the other was a Ventura Police Officer.

Lumber City hired off duty police officers to work security during anticipated busy times of the week.  He worked there some of the same time I did and was one of the VPD officers who swayed me into a career in law enforcement.  

He and I actually first met and laughed about our common name one night at a crash at Telegraph and Mills, when a DUI he was chasing smashed into the back of my van while I was stopped at a red light.  

Years later when I let him know I was hired in Fresno and was heading to the police academy, he gave me his baton with his/our name scratched on it.  He had quickly scratched his name on it at his academy when he realized the instructors were making the cadets throw their batons in a pile and he wanted to be able to identify his baton.  He thought I might have the same challenge and wanted me to be ready.  I carried it through the academy and patrol until our department switched to the side handle baton (PR-24).

I still have it on display in my workshop.  

And, I just realized these photos are taken on one of two rock solid workbench kits I bought at Lumber City.

A Wonderful and Cool Anniversary

 

Ok, I’ll preface this with, yeah, we didn’t take many photos.  But, it’s similar to our trip in March, so they’d be about the same.  

We knew we wanted to get out of the summer heat for our anniversary, and we succeeded.  On Sunday, July 7^th we headed over to our new favorite getaway town, Cayucos.  We stayed in Space number 7 this time.  Space number 9 last time.  What we didn’t foresee was another, different, health issue that mostly grounded me—again.   

As we left the Fresno area heading toward the coast, it was exhilarating to watch the temperature slowly climbing as we crossed the San Joaquin Valley into Avenal and Cholame, and then started dropping.  Late morning temps were in the high 90s° F headed to a high in Fresno of 113°.  In Cholame it was 101°, but by the time we got to Paso Robles, it had dropped to the mid-90s again.   

The trailer was looking a little dirty, so we found Golden Hill Self Wash in Paso Robles, and were able to wash off the storage yard dirt.  Kari was much happier.  The spray from the wash was like an outdoor swamp cooler.  It felt refreshing.  

Heading west on SR-46 out of “Paso,” toward SR-1, it was fun counting down the temperature as it dropped the further we went.  We stopped in a large dirt turnout a few miles short of SR-1 and enjoyed lunch in cool weather and a distant ocean view.  

Arriving in Cayucos, there was a nice Marine Layer, and it was 63°, substantially lower than what we set our air conditioner at home.   It was heaven.  The whole week was just the same.  We kept an eye on the Fresno temperature, and just smiled at each other.  

As we were preparing to come here for our March trip, I dropped a heavy hard plastic box on my right foot, with a corner striking the top center of my foot.  It was excruciating, I could barely walk, and it was restricting the first few days during our visit.  I felt terrible not being able join Kari walking around town.  It slowly got better, yet still hurt for weeks.  

After returning from the March trip, we had several projects we wanted to complete before the summer weather hit.  The finished removal of the aforementioned orange tree from hell was one of them.  Up and down a ladder, twisting around to hang new curtain rods and curtains, older plants dug up and removed, replacement plants put in, and finishing touches on repairing the heavy front water fountain.  Finally, adding an awkward to install shelf over the bed in the trailer.      

I freely admit the obvious, I’m not in shape anymore—except maybe the shape of plump.  During all those projects, I beat myself up pretty badly for things I once was able to do much easier.  And frankly, I probably should still be able to do them without the damage I caused my body.  I felt like I strained or pulled muscles, ligaments, and everything else in my legs.  Knees, which my doctor had previously shared suffer unfixable damage with age, hurt so much I could barely walk.  

And somewhere, somehow, for the first time in my life I pulled a hamstring in my right leg.  Hopefully it’s the only time.  My gosh it was painful.  I communicated my woes with my primary physician via the handy app, and he confirmed my suspicions.  He told me to continue to stay off my feet and keep cold compresses on it.  The hamstring slowly got better as expected.  Not so much the knees, especially my right knee.  On this trip, sadly I was once again severely limited to walking distances.  (I am going in for a consultation with my physician soon.)

The trip continues.   

I was able to walk around town a little bit.  Twice we walked to Bijou Bakery for breakfast.  They have a great seating area under a large canopy.  The bacon quiche and pastries were delicious.   

Spending several days in the coastal climate is always a reminder for me about growing up in similar climates.  We really enjoyed our time, reading, relaxing, and Kari taking Parfait on long walks around town.  As she walked, she noticed several properties for sale.  That led to wondering how outrageous the real estate market is in Cayucos—and it is—to realizing once again, the only way we could move to a place like this is to win the lottery.  Kari purchased tickets, knowing that with any winnings we have already agreed to give have the net to our church.  We’ll be staying in Clovis. Our church is getting an extra dollar this year. 

Our time in Cayucos briefly overlapped with Fresno friends.  On our second to the last night, we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Luanda Garden Bistro.  We dined in a recessed garden patio with Fresno friends Chris and Bill Trollinger and former Fresnan Sharon Van Loon who is now a local in the area near Cayucos.  On our final night, we joined those three again at a home next to our RV park rented by Fresno friends Tina and Gary Kinsey, who were hosting a traditional taco night for their large family gathering.  It was crazy, delicious, and very fun.    

We broke camp the next day and headed south to Ventura, stopping for lunch in a dirt pullout along US-101 north of Santa Barbara for an ocean view trailer lunch.  

We noted how trashy the highway is thanks to discourteous people tossing their litter out.  By coincidence, as we ended our lunch, a CalTrans team showed up and started cleaning the area.  Some heroes wear orange.  

Ventura County’s Hobson Beach Campground was our destination for three nights. 

There really isn’t a view of the Pacific Ocean from the campground site due to the protective rock wall, yet the sounds of the ocean are constant.  I was a bit worried it would be noisy at night because there were so many children running around during the day, but at 10 pm, the only sounds were the ocean.  The campground also has a snack bar with good food, and the showers clean.  

On Tuesday, July 16, our 36^th wedding anniversary, our first full day in Ventura was fulfilling the primary need to dos, first, visiting the grave of my parents.  

Stepping back to November 16, 2023, I mentioned in a prior post I was in Ventura for my aunt’s funeral, who is buried a short dis from my parents.  After her service, I went into the office to inquire about my parent’s grave.  Their flower vase was originally donated by the Ventura South Rotary Club.  The base is basically two pieces.  One is a tube that is permanently installed in the ground, and the other piece was smaller in diameter.  One way in the hole, and there's a metal cover for the hole.  Pull it out, flip it over and put it back in, and boom, flower vase.  It was always off center and at a different distance from the headstone as compared to others.  It’s always hard to find, and it never seems the groundskeepers flipped the lid back up to cover the hole.  I have measurements and photos from prior visits to help, but we usually have to dig around stabbing the ground at an angle with a long screwdriver to find the edge of the tube because without the top in its proper place, grass fills it up.  So my office visit in November 2023 resulted in submitting a work order to have the vase checked and moved.  There was an understanding that I might need pay for a replacement, but they would contact me if there was an issue.  I never heard anything, so my presumption all was well.   

This visit, no matter what we did, we couldn’t find the vase at all.  Over twenty years, and this was a first.  Not wanting look weird, but the two of us were kneeling over a gravesite, one with a hand trowel and the other with a long long screwdriver, stabbing away probably looked rather odd to someone paying attention to us.  I was beyond frustrated that I couldn’t find it.  Kari kept checking while I drove to the office and waited for them to finish with another client.   I shared the situation about the vase, when I was there in November, the work order I wrote out and handed in to them personally, and our current frustrations.  There was keyboard typing, file cabinet checking, and hushed conversations off to the side. 

The resulting report was, they had no record of the work order I had submitted.   Yet, for a fee of $25, they would locate the vase by the end of the day, but recommended in the future to call in advance and pay the fee and they would locate it beforehand.  Not knowing Kari’s progress, I declined their offer for today and left the office.   

Kari hadn’t had any luck, so I went with Plan B.  I dug a small hole with the trowel, stuck the flowers directly in the ground, added water and compacted the dirt around them.  

I’ll call in advance next time.   

Consolation came in the form of required delicious corn burritos from Foster Freeze.  I’ve talked about them before, and I’ll talk about them in the future.  But that’s enough for today.   

The final stop before heading back to the trailer was a stop at McConnell's Fine Ice Cream on Main St.  Barbara Streisand had mentioned it in her book, especially the coffee flavored ice cream.  Kari bought a selection, and they were all good, especially the coffee.  I saved it for home in Clovis, and topped it with something my mother did, chocolate syrup with a topping made of crushed cornflakes and peanuts mixed with melted brown sugar and butter. Yum!

Our anniversary dinner was a grilled steak, small red potatoes that were mashed, and salad.  Simple and delicious.  I only wish I left my nicer shirt on before taking our anniversary selfie photo.  I'm still crazy in love with this woman.  I'm a blessed man.  

Wednesday, July 17^th was live person visitation day. The morning started with a visit to our campsite by former Buena High School classmate Tim Hoctor.  When we head into Ventura, Tim is one of the folks we always wonder how he’s doing.  I’ve always really liked Tim, but in all honesty, Tim and I weren’t the closest of buddies.  We attended different Junior High schools so we didn’t have that bond.  At Buena, we had classes together, hung with the same common folks, and attended the same parties and events. 

Tim, as a career realtor, was really helpful after my father died when we were preparing to move my mom to Fresno and sell their Ventura home.  Since I was working in the Bay Area at the time, Tim would occasionally stop by and see my bedridden mom as we were getting the house ready for market.  Later, Tim shared that he always enjoyed talking with my mom (just that makes one feel good), but added something she shared with him.  I think it was the last visit with my mom, and Tim asked her if there was anything else he could do for her.  She said, he could go outside and smell the grass for her.  Tim said it was an emotional moment.  We had a great chat getting caught up with each other’s lives, mutual friends, and travel adventures.  

In the afternoon, my cousin Bill Stone and his wife Shelly hosted us at their home.  Kari had never met them, and it was really nice getting caught up and sharing with them.  They included their current desire to move to Oklahoma so they could be closer to their daughters and grandchildren.  They surprised me with a photo album that had a lot of photos of my father when he was younger, many during World War II.  I’m going to enjoy going through it and exploring some of my father’s past that he didn’t like to talk about, something not unusual for many WWII veterans. 

On July 18^th, we headed home, back to the heat.  It was our first trip over the Grapevine with our little rig.  It performed very well.  Lunch was parked at the Taco Bell in Wheeler Ridge so Kari could run next door to In-N-Out to pick up burgers. 

The only incident, or close call, was north of Bakersfield on SR-99 approaching Merced Rd off-ramp.  Some people just gotta drive like idiots.  Enjoy the video.