Jan Skrentny

WHY THE MOUNTAIN?

I have lived in the mountains for 20 years with my wife Jessica and at some time or another with our grown children who have wandered through while growing up. I have been a real estate agent for eight years. Prior to living in the mountains, I lived in Los Angeles, Washginton, D.C., rural Virginia, Canterbury, England, New York, Rome, Italy and Milwaukee. I also traveled the world for the National Geographic and the Smithsonian. I’ve seen lots of cities, rural areas, cultural centers, isolated communities and historic ruins. I like it here, now.

I live in Crestline, just outside Lake Arrowhead, 60 miles east of Los Angeles and 5,000 feet higher – in a house that my wife and I designed and built (that’s something you can still do up here, after you buy the land).

This is an area of cedars and pines, ravines of dogwoods, no stop lights, small towns, post office boxes and seasons. In fall, trees turn colors and leaves fall. So does snow in the winter, but just some of the time. In the spring there are glorious explosions of color from trees in bloom and fields of daffodils. Mid-summer temperatures are in the 80’s at the highest – it’s 18 degrees hotter in San Bernardino (temperatures decrease 3 degrees per 1,000 feet of altitude) and 22 degrees plus in Palm Springs. Our 85 is 107 in PS.

REALITY CHECK

We’ve had two forest fires in the last four years. I’m sure you’ve seen them on TV. My wife and I have evacuated both times and both times we returned to find our house safe and sound. But there were people who did lose their homes.

ARE WE CRAZY TO LIVE HERE?

Live in nature? Amidst trees that could burn? With deer, bear, raccoons, coyotes, blue jays and humming birds all around you? Hell, aren’t they dangerous?

All of California is dangerous. Most Americas think its crazy to live here. I’m from Milwaukee, believe me, I’ve heard it repeatedly from relatives.

Malibu burns regularly. If a major earthquake strikes, like Northridge or Oakland, both in the last 15 years, buildings and freeways will flatten. In the mountain there’s a 5,000 foot buffer of granite, a two point better Richter scale chance of survival. When we lived on the beach in Playa Del Rey in LA, our house flooded twice in three years, waves rolling over 100 years of beach to pound the glass sliding doors which in time did buckle.

If global warming is real, LA’s underwater and I’m living on an island.

Still, one of the biggest dangers in California is real estate prices. Admit it, few can afford San Diego or Brentwood. No one can afford oceanfront any more. You dream of beauty, vistas, privacy and quiet. Can’t afford it – try the mountains.

Because of the recent fires, you can get more for your dollar than you could ever imagine other than in — Oklahoma.