Along the side of southbound Highway 101 on Tuesday, a remote-controlled mower was cutting down weeds at the off-ramp for State Route 217. As high fire season is upon us, Caltrans is doing its part.⁠ ⁠ Caltrans uses the RC mowers in areas big and small, though they still weed-whack by hand near tree trunks. On slopes, the agency has found the RC mowers are safer, said Heidi Crawford with District 5, and they can reach inaccessible areas. In service for the past two years, the mowers can cover an