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“He may be just a tramp, a guy that likes to roam about this great country without any special aim, just to thank the Lord for these beautiful mountains.”
-B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”
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- Eating Poison Oak
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- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
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- Otter Point, Gaviota Coast
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- California Name Origins: Joseph Wood Krutch, The Forgotten Peninsula (1961)
- The Extraordinary Rains of August 2023
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- Repatriation of Native American Remains and Artifacts
- The Mysterious Three Stone Stack
- A Sea of Debris and Plastic Microtrash
- The Twelve-Inch Experience, Baron Ranch Corridor
- Figueroa Mountain Bug Bloom
- Discreet Sensitive Habitat Signage, Sespe Wilderness
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Spring Potrero Mutilated, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Big Bummer At Baron Ranch: Trashing the Place To Save It
- Renaming Los Padres: Names Of the 1930s
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Monthly Archives: June 2015
Gooseberry Wildcraft
California gooseberry illustration from Pacific Rural Press (1873). “The California wild gooseberry, red variety (Ribes menziesii), is certainly a desirable variety, and is said to be superior to crabapples for jellies, etc. The plant is exceedingly ornamental when loaded with … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Foraging, Gooseberries, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildcrafting
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11 Comments
Flight of the Condor, Rare Santa Barbara Roost
A condor over Sespe Wilderness in December, 2013. (Return to Whiteacre Peak Or Day of the Condor) Earlier this month I stood on a ridge along Arroyo Burro Trail gazing from afar into the rocky mouth of San Roque Canyon … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Condors, Hiking, iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Mariposa Lily, Nature, San Roque Canyon, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildlife
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8 Comments
The Los Padres Box Of Chocolates
Humboldt lily growing in Los Padres National Forest. “Sometimes I feel so uninspired Sometimes I feel like giving up Sometimes I feel so very tired Sometimes I feel like I’ve had enough” —Steve Winwood, Traffic – “(Sometimes I Feel So) … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Butterflies, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Swallowtail, wildflowers, Wildlife
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13 Comments
The Politics of Rock Art
Santa Barbara County vintage making use of Chumash pictograph motifs. When one takes an interest in actively seeking out and visiting Chumash rock art paintings they soon learn that there is an emotional and contentious political subculture swirling around these archaeological … Continue reading →
Posted in Articles
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Tagged Archaeology, Chumash, Hiking, History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Pictographs, Rock Art, Santa Barbara
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17 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 