Author Archives: Jack Elliott

Mountaintop Foggy Sunset

Santa Cruz Island poking through a blanket of fog and into the rutilant winter light, as seen from the Santa Ynez Mountains.

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Indian Cave

This cave is located in Ventura County. It sits overlooking a gushing perennial spring in otherwise very dry landscape. There are numerous bedrock mortars in the cave and around the immediate area. There are traces of soot on its walls … Continue reading

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Desperate Fight with Condors: Narrow Escape of Santa Barbara Man (1899)

A front page illustration on San Francisco’s The Call newspaper from April 30, 1899 showing two condors attacking a ledge-bound man wielding a club in defense. (Click to enlarge.) The illustration above accompanied a harrowing tale of two Santa Barbara … Continue reading

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Manzana Creek Schoolhouse (1893)

Manzana schoolhouse, Santa Barbara County Historical Landmark No. 2. “I got paid $50 a month for teaching and paid $14 for room and board, and that was a shared bed at that, with at least one or two children.” —Cora … Continue reading

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Potrero Canyon, Hurricane Deck, Manzana Creek 20 Mile Day Hike

The circuit I hiked noted on Bing imagery. I woke early and hit the super slab driving up over the Santa Ynez Mountains, across the Santa Ynez Valley and over Figueroa Mountain to the lower Manzana Creek trailhead in the … Continue reading

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