In the time of the original Road Warrior, Don Harlan, this spot was called “Jaguar Jump” after a car that did not make the turn, jumping off the highway and over the edge. More recently, it has been referred to as Polar Star, after a mine which is back behind this area a mile or two, accessed from a road further south of this point. It is a mine Rock Knocker took me to once. There is a creek crossing to get there, and during the winter, the caretaker can not get across the creek. We went during the dry time. It is a cinnabar mine.

These photos were taken yesterday afternoon by Caltrans when the slide was very active.

Date:	Monday, December 27, 2021
District:	05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:	Kevin Drabinski or Jim Shivers
Phone:	(805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                           HIGHWAY 1 CLOSED IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY FOLLOWING ROCKSLIDES

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY – Rockfall and debris in the roadway associated with an ongoing rain event has resulted in the closure of Highway 1 from the Elephant Seal Parking Lot north of San Simeon to south of Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County. The slide is located two miles south of Ragged Point at a location known as Polar Star.

There is currently no estimated time for reopening as maintenance/engineer teams are assessing the closure area this morning and will continue to work during daylight hours when it’s safe for crews to do so prior to any change of the closure parameters. Decisions on modifying the closure parameters will be determined by these field assessments. The cleanup effort could be impacted by additional rainfall in the area.

Barricades, cones as well as message and directional signs are in place at both ends of the closure to alert motorists traveling in the area.