Google Maps: Banana Rd, Montecito, CA

I spent an idyllic few years on Banana Road in the late 1960s. I found it, sort of, on Google Maps. I outlined a few interesting facts, described the problem, and within a day received:

Hi Richard, 

Your Google Maps problem report has been reviewed, and you were right! We’ll update the map soon and email you when you can see the change. 

Report history
Problem ID: E6C8-0361-6A7B-E663

Your report: Banana Rd is not here. Please refer to my “user map” about it. It’s a tricky case. Pardon my dramatic use of flames. http://goo.gl/maps/rgq9 

—
Thanks for your help,
The Google Maps team

‘

The image is linked to my User Map, which is also embedded live after it. The push-pins show (with Street View) the mailboxes and entrance, the flames are the burned houses. The red line marks the road and gives an overview:

Banana Rd is a “private road” so the addresses (732 to 742) are on Coyote Rd, where the mailboxes are. Starting East, it makes a sharp left, goes uphill and dead ends. Tragically, all of the houses on Banana Rd burned down in the Tea Fire of 2008, including 736 Coyote Rd, the only “old” house to survive all fires from the 1960s until 2008.

It’s very sad that the only remaining friend of the family from the 1960s was burned out after holding on so tenaciously all these years. 736 Coyote came close to burning a few times before but was saved, by the owners, not the fire department. It was probably one of the last houses with an authentic “Mountain Drive” architecture and aesthetic. Now the area is largely “imitation Mediterranean” if you will.

View Banana Rd, Montecito, CA 93108 in a larger map

742 Coyote Rd, circa 1970