The record-breaking sequence of storms here in L.A. has been brutal, and predictably after several days of this pattern the hillsides are coming apart, destroying homes and lives. While I currently reside down in The Valley on a relatively flat parcel of land, I lived for many years up in nearby Topanga Canyon, which is still my primary route into West Los Angeles.

But today, virtually all routes into "town" have been closed, including most canyons and the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405). Topanga would be a particularly bad choice right now, as you can see below.

I can't at this time exactly place the location of this massive boulder on Topanga Canyon Blvd., but the white box on the pole to the left is an AT&T Wireless microcell controller (you can see the antenna array above the unit near the top of the pole), which puts it on the main section of the road passing through the canyon itself, probably near the center of the community or on the way in from PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).

Topanga was at one time quite the hippie/folk/music enclave, but thankfully, it is reported that nobody was injured when this rock decided to roll. Other local areas and their residents have not been so lucky.

--Lauren--