Caltrans freeway signs falsely declared "Point Dume Closed" Play

Getting back to hurricanes and sand: if you were driving across the San Fernando Valley over the weekend, the changeable freeway message signs had a three-word message. "Point Dume Closed."

Way to go, Caltrans.

Point Dume of course was not closed. Only the road leading to the tip of the point — the parking lot on the beach — was shut down. Businesses on Point Dume were open. All roads on Point Dume were open.

Super Typhoon Simpson continues to spin up in the western Pacific, a monster fed by super-warm ocean water. It is expected to slam into Okinawa and Japan. It is certainly capable of generating more strong waves here in California, but this one is due west of us, not south, like the two Mexican hurricanes that sent waves here last week.

South-facing beaches may catch a break, as the hurricane activity off Central America has died down.