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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
- Rocky Peak Park, Santa Susana Mountains
- A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
- Eating Poison Oak
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Burro Schmidt Tunnel and Shanty (1906-1930s)
- Mountain Lion Standoff, Santa Ynez Mountains
- The Chumash Arrowhead
- Camping Out in California: Pine Mountain Narrative (1887)
- The Mood Altering Stream Orchid
- Pine Mountain and Zaca Lake Forest Reserve (1898)
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Latest Dispatches
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Nino
- 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
- 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)
Lunar Phase

Author Archives: Jack Elliott
Figueroa Mtn Freedom: Violating the COVID-19 Lockdown Order
A vernal pool on Figueroa Mountain. A male and female mallard were seen in the pool. March 27, 2020 I find it difficult to live in a society governed without reason. My mind operates logically. I am irascible by nature. … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Camping, Coronavirus, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, News, Outdoors, Wilderness
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27 Comments
Jack’s Custom Deluxe Super Premium Los Padres Liniment
Cottonwood trees showing fall color along the Santa Ynez River in Santa Barbara County. “Well the summertime has gone,” Van Morrison sings. “And the leaves are gently turning.” And come fall season in Santa Barbara County the black cottonwood trees … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Beauty, Foraging, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Pics, Santa Ynez Mountains, Trees, Wildcraft, Wilderness
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1 Comment
Native American Cupule Boulder Discovered
Mortar No trail leads there. A careless body could fall along the way and be bloodied up, break a bone, die busted and splattered across the sharp angular stones of canyon rip-rap and jumbled boulders and bedrock slabs. Such has … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Anthropology, Archaeology, Chumash, Hiking, History, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Rock Art, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
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2 Comments
Chaparral
Slopes of chaparral in the Santa Ynez Mountains. On down the slopes and all the way to the canyons was a thicket of varied shrubs that changed in character as altitude fell but was everywhere dense enough to stop an … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Chaparral, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, San Rafael Wilderness, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
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3 Comments
The Rescue of a Baby Lion
The fleeting, odd bit of noise sounded mechanical when it first hit my ear. But we were in a designated wilderness wherein nothing of the sort is allowed. And so brief was the sound I almost wasn’t sure I heard … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Chumash Wilderness, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mountain Lions, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Wildlife
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12 Comments













