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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
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Chanterelle Mushrooms
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- Rock Art Ramblin', Searching For Chumash Pictographs
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- Dinosaur Footprints, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Burro Schmidt Tunnel and Shanty (1906-1930s)
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Latest Dispatches
- The Exceptional Sundowner Winds of Santa Barbara
- Lobster Poachers?
- Dick Smith on Forest Access
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Niño
- Language of Forest Closure; Assault on an Ancient Right
- March of the Mustard; The Spread of Noxious Weeds
- Mark of Conquest II: Benchmark and Mortar
- Save Old Mission Sycamore … __ __ __ …
- 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
Lunar Phase

Author Archives: Jack Elliott
The Exceptional Sundowner Winds of Santa Barbara
Ninety degrees on the beach at sunset, 6:19, October 24, 2017. Autumn’s sweet We call it fall —Red Hot Chili Peppers It’s 2:30 and 93 degrees right now as I write this. Fall’s sweet, we call it summer. Perhaps the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Beach, Fire, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, wind
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Lobster Poachers?
Aluminum lobster/crab size gauge seen against his inner thigh and a net bag on the waist to hold the catch. We’ve been freediving local nearshore waters for over 35 years. We’ve been surfing for about the same amount of time … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Beach, Fish, Fishing, Lobster, Ocean, Poaching, Santa Barbara, Spearfishing, Spiny Lobster, Sportfishing
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Dick Smith on Forest Access
Kiddin’ around on La Cumbre Peak, the warm apricot glow of that slanted winter light. “And it was one of those days in the high pines when the sun and sweet breeze get into your underwear.” —Don DeLillo, Underworld (1997) … Continue reading →
Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
As dead as it looks, that stump is still very much alive, although the tree may have been cut down decades ago. The old sycamore stump sprout has been razed yet again. A maintenance worker apparently snipped it off when … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged History, Landscapes, Natural History, Nature, Old Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Sycamore, Sycamores, Tree City USA, Trees, Wildlife
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2 Comments
Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
A friend captured this snapshot while sitting in camp creekside waiting for me to show up. We had left town at different times, arrived at the trailhead apart, and met up later in the afternoon. I arrived just in time … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Bald Eagles, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mazana Creek, Nature, Raptors, San Rafael Wilderness, Wilderness, Wildlife
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2 Comments













