A week before the landslide we were visiting our son in Socal and did some exploring between Costa Mesa and Mexico. It was amazing and frightening to see so many homes, businesses, and even resorts built on top of or below steep cliffs that contained so little rock and so much sand. Driving down Hwy 1, one has only to stop and really look at the ground supporting these structures. So many appear to be built on concrete slabs poured on sand, both at sea level and up in the hills and canyons as well. My husband, who is a building inspector in the Bay Area, kept saying,

"It's going to go, it's all going to move and keep moving; there's no support and no drainage. These little retaining walls will be useless. How can people be so stupid not to see this?"

That no one was killed or badly injured was truly a miracle, but what are the chances of another similar miracle when the next disaster occurs? You can't fight Mother Nature, but you can learn from her and prepare for the worst she can dish out! So why would someone build an uninsurable home, on top of an unstable base of sand, in an area that is prone to regular visits from Mother Nature in all her fury: Earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, drought, floods, wildfires?

On another note, the drive from San Francisco to Costa Mesa was spectacular. For the last two years, all trips have been on Hwy 5 (always timed to avoid the worst of both the LA and SF traffic). This trip we went through Hollister and down 25. We wanted to drive down the San Andreas as much as we could. It was a magnificant drive, perfect weather and gorgeous scenery the entire way. (I'm from Hawaii, I know gorgeous scenery!) The land forms, hills, ridges, rips, folds and layers that were visible in the earth all along the route were unique. As an extra bonus the roads were newly paved, and there was NO TRAFFIC, on a Thursday at 4PM!!! Every turn in the road, revealed a new visual treat, and one could only marvel at the incredible forces that formed this area.