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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, . . .”
Search Jack’s Blog
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)
Photos from the blog
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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
Chumash Stone Bowl
“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12 – Jesus, did you?” —Stephen King, “The Body” I spent an inordinate amount of time at the beach when I was ten and eleven … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Archaeology, Artifacts, Beach, Chumash, Indians, Native Americans, Ocean, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Travel
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6 Comments
Letter to Editor Regarding Plastic Pollution
A snapshot showing plastic debris in the mulch. I walked out my back door, knelt down in a random spot in the garden, looked for just a second to spot some plastic, and took the photo. So pervasive is the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Activism, Creeks, Environmentalism, Nature, News, Ocean, Plastic, Pollution, Santa Barbara, Wildlife
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9 Comments
The Chumash Arrowhead
April 2019 Black So what am I supposed to do with you, Professor? White Why are you supposed to do anything? Black I done told you. This aint none of my doin. I left out of here … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Chumash, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Wilderness
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12 Comments
The Mood Altering Stream Orchid
A stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea) growing near the Santa Ynez River in late May of 2019. Stream orchids grow where constant water is found at seeps, springs and perennial streams. The plant is known for its mood altering and sedative … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, wildflowers, Wildlife
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4 Comments
US Coast Survey Patterson Camp Inscription Vandalism (1873)
Inside a cave in the Santa Ynez Mountains on the Gaviota Coast somebody carved an inscription memorializing the United States Coast Survey of 1873. The name is apparently in reference to Carlile P. Patterson, the Hydrographic Inspector for the USCS … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Caves, Gaviota Coast, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Los Padres National Forest, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Travel
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3 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 