Buried in mud, Montecito faces a daunting cleanup with no end in sight

MONTECITO, Calif. - The cobbled parking lots outside boutiques are empty. The Italian trattoria known as Oprah Winfrey's favorite haunt is shuttered, as is the Four Seasons resort owned by Ty Warner, the Beanie Babies tycoon.

A place famous for coastal affluence and extravagance is now unlivable and grappling with one basic and primitive question: Where to put all the mud?

The picturesque topography that drew the rich and famous here, hills and mountains rising dramatically from the Pacific Ocean, fed the destructive mudslides that killed at least 20 people, wiped out 65 homes and damaged 450.

The disaster leaves Montecito with a cleanup that is hard to fathom, and with no timetable for completion.