Thanks to the Highway 9 man

EDITOR,
I live just north of Boulder Creek and spend probably 90 percent of my driving time along the Highway 9 corridor. Every single day — often every single trip I take — I see a gentleman walking along the road, often carrying plastic bags filled with trash he has presumably picked up along the highway.
For years, I have just thought of him (if at all) as one of the faces of local color in Boulder Creek. My kids have always called him “Al,” because of his longish and sometimes wild salt-and-pepper hair and mustache, like Albert Einstein’s.
Just recently I have started noticing that we have very little trash along the road. Perhaps it’s not all because of your efforts, Al, but I thank you. I don’t know what your story is (and I’m sure you have one), but because of your efforts, my kids and I have talked about ecology, physics, personal responsibility, volunteerism and quietly doing what is important.
And if you see a mom driving a silver Honda Civic waving to you as you take your daily walks, it’s me.
Meera Collier-Mitchell, Boulder Creek