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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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Recently Read
- El Saucito Ranch House, Carrizo Plain (1878)
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Steelhead Fishing, Santa Ynez River (1948)
- Eating Poison Oak
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Native Steelhead of Yore
- From Graffiti to Graffito, Trash To Treasure
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Teardrop, Santa Ynez Mountains
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Latest Dispatches
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
- Initials of J.D. Reyes (1907)
- Last California Grizzlies Seen In Santa Barbara National Forest? (1926)
- Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Fog Drip Morels
- Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
- Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
- Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
- Barefoot Prints In Volcanic Ash, Hawaii (1790)
- Skinny-Dipper Detained, Cuffed and Cited at Montecito Hot Springs
- Red Horny Toad
Lunar Phase
Monthly Archives: May 2025
Last California Grizzlies Seen In Santa Barbara National Forest? (1926)
“As a result of his 1903 visit to California, Roosevelt was to create the Santa Barbara National Forest out of the Pine Mountain and Zaca Lake Forest Reserves. This was the land that McKinley had set aside on March 2, … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Grizzly, Grizzly Bears, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Natural History, Nature, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, Wildlife
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4 Comments
Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
This oak and these boulders were slated to be the backyard of a few people, but activist efforts by Save the San Marcos Foothills coalition rescued the area for the many people of the public at large; surely of much … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Anthropology, Archaeology, Artifacts, Chumash, Hiking, Indians, Native Americans, Outdoors, San Marcos Foothills Preserve, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains
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5 Comments
Fog Drip Morels
Sans soil. Every day, for weeks now, a marine layer swamps the coast so far this spring, cool and sometimes spritzing. I wake to the rhythmic tap of fog drip falling through the rain gutters. May 5 morels. Measurable precipitation … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Camping, Fieldcraft, Foraging, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wild Foods, Wildlife
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Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
Walking tracks, west of town. Keep on keeping on. This offering relates to the preceding, Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar. The previous post mentioned the Modoc War of 1872-73 in California. Emphasis has been added below to highlight portions … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged American Indian Wars, History, Hope Ranch, Indians, Modoc Indians, Native Americans, Place Names, Santa Barbara, Street Names, Walker A Tompkins, Yankee Barbarenos
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Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 