by Chris Jones

Headed north this weekend for a drunken sunset picnic among the vines of Sonoma and/or Napa? Well, before you swerve off the side of the road into a drainage ditch, be sure to check out the work that's being done on the Waldo Tunnel. Caltrans has begun a major clean up of the tunnels, including a repaint of the 1970's brand rainbows that adorn the tunnel entrances.

A number of local businesses and individuals have offered their assistance in refreshing the rainbows with local Marin paint shop, Marin Color Services, donating all the paint for the cause. Expect the new rainbows to be a bit more subdued than the original, garish colors, as we Bay Area people are reputed to have like taste now or something.

Historical note: the original rainbows were thrown up in 1970 by some old Caltrans director and obvious hippie sympathizer who was about to retire. Caltrans was none too pleased by this act of artistic rebellion, but backed off after observing how mellow, patchouli smelling Marin types thought the rainbows "groovy." Enjoy!