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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
- Eating Poison Oak
- Petroglyph, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Indian Creek Waterfalls and Narrows
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- The Ol' Swimmin' Hole
- The Twelve-Inch Experience, Baron Ranch Corridor
- Honeysuckle in the Highlands
- Old Cold Spring Tunnel (1897)
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Widow's Tears Falls, 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

Author Archives: Jack Elliott
Mussel Harvest At Low Tide: Modern Man, Ancient Practice
It’s been 80 degrees the last few days; winter in Santa Barbara. The negative low tides of winter offer a great chance to get the kids out on the beach exploring tide pools and instill in them a curiosity and … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Beach, Chumash, Foraging, History, Indians, iPhoneography, Mussels, Nature, Ocean, Seafood, Wildcrafting, Writing
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4 Comments
Montecito Peak, Santa Ynez Mountains
Montecito Peak, Santa Ynez Mountains Numerous parked cars line the road at the trailhead when I arrive one September morning. Several people in different small groups linger about getting ready for a walk or returning therefrom. A few voices resonate … Continue reading →
Oyster Mushrooms
Wind carved tunnel through soft sandstone. We spent yesterday morning wambling our way through the brush, up a shady wet canyon and back down the canyon, up an adjacent exposed sunny ridge over and down again the same canyon. Over … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Foraging, Hiking, Mushrooms, Nature, Oyster Mushrooms, Wildcrafting
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1 Comment
Rock Art Ramblin’, Searching For Chumash Pictographs
David Stillman standing at the base of the second fall in a series of waterfalls which flow when it rains. So we go and so it is, around this bend and that, up over and down under and around we … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Archaeology, Chumash, Hiking, Indians, iPhoneography, iPhonography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Pictographs, Rock Art
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10 Comments
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Afternoon reflections on a deep pool, which would be a lot deeper, as the mineral stain on the rock shows, were it not for the current droughty conditions. Hericium mushrooms are one of the subtle signs of annual change in … Continue reading →
Posted in Flora, Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Foraging, Hericiums, Hiking, iPhoneography, Mushrooms, Nature, Photos, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildcraft
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4 Comments













