Author Archives: Jack Elliott

Gaviota Coast Gallivants: Chumash Arrowhead

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Jack Elliott

August 2016 “The reverence attached to the artifacts of history is a thing men feel. One could even say that what endows any thing with significance is solely the history in which it has participated.” –Cormac McCarthy, “The Crossing” The … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaviota | Tagged Arrowheads, Artifacts, beachcombing, Chumash, Gaviota, Indians, Native American, Ocean, Santa Barbara, Travel, Treasure | 5 Comments

Gaviota Coast Gallivants: The Wildest Wilderness

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Jack Elliott

“The ocean is an unbelievably vast wilderness.” –Steven Callahan, “Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea” The 76-mile long Gaviota Coast is the wildest wilderness in Santa Barbara County. According to Gaviota Coast Conservancy, it is “the largest stretch of undeveloped coastline … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaviota | Tagged Beach, Gaviota, Los Padres National Forest, Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Santa Ynez Mountains, Sharks, Spearfishing, Travel, White Seabass, Wilderness | 3 Comments

Tarantula Mating Season, Santa Barbara County

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Jack Elliott

No photos on this blog have ever been staged, but in the interest of honesty I’d like to note that this tarantula, found walking a few yards away, was placed atop this branch in order to allow a better snapshot. … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Ynez Valley, Spiders, Tarantulas, Wildlife | 5 Comments

Chumash Rock Art, Santa Barbara County

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Jack Elliott

These Chumash paintings show little wear from the elements over the last several decades. They are presented here without alteration, but for a slight intensification of the existing natural color. They measure roughly about twelve inches in length. The pictographs … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Archaeology, Art, Chumash, History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Pictographs, Rock Art, Travel | 6 Comments

The Mighty Chia Seed, Cuyama Badlands

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Jack Elliott

The Cuyama Badlands can be a wicked and terrible place for a human on foot with minimal supplies. Heaved aloft, scorched and desiccated, it’s a land clawed open and washed away by spotty cloudbursts that quench a sparse growth of piñon pine, juniper and sagebrush. … Continue reading →