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Santa Cruz Mountain Residents Make Do After Rock Slide

SCOTTS VALLEY (CBS SF) - Neighbors in the 33 homes cut off by a rock slide on Nelson Road have tried to take the inconvenience in stride as rain hampered work to restore access to their mountain community.

Washed out roads, and even the occasional landslide, are the price that sometimes has to be paid for a usually tranquil life outside the city, said Dianne Shaw.

"Sometimes things like this happen. It's in the woods, and I still get to see deer on my front lawn," she said.

KCBS' Tim Ryan Reports:

What her neighbors saw on Monday morning was clumps of sandstone and boulders come tumbling down the side of Nelson Road. By the afternoon, the slide had covered the road near Sky Meadow Lane completely, making it impossible to drive in either direction.

Things taken for granted, such as FedEx deliveries to friends on the other side of the slide were now being coordinated through Facebook, said Cindy Ferguson.

Garbage pick-up was another matter.

"I've got a full bag in my kitchen right now," Ferguson said with a smirk.

The Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works cannot make any serious headway on the slide until the weather improves, said director John Presleigh.

Crews expect to clear another slide on Conference Drive in the Felton area by Friday, he said.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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