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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
- A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
- Rocky Peak Park, Santa Susana Mountains
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Mission Falls
- Chumash Indian Mortars and the Puzzle of the Midden
- Rattlesnake Falls, San Rafael Wilderness
- Eating Poison Oak
- Barger Canyon Arch
- Fitzgerald's Fit: Man Leads Work Crew To Wreck Montecito Hot Springs
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Latest Dispatches
- 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)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
- Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
Lunar Phase
Category Archives: Santa Barbara
March of the Mustard; The Spread of Noxious Weeds
Mustard blooming trailside in Los Padres National Forest, growing where we’ve never seen it before. “Like other mustards, black mustard grows profusely and produces allelopathic chemicals that prevent germination of native plants. The spread of black mustard can increase the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Firebreaks, Hiking, Invasive Plants, Los Padres National Forest, Mustard, National Forest, Nature, Noxious Weeds, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, wildflowers
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2 Comments
Mark of Conquest II: Benchmark and Mortar
Mortar, benchmark, cupules. In a previous post we wrote about a United States Geological Survey benchmark medal adhered to a Chumash mortar stone, adjacent the Santa Ynez Mountains along the southern-most edge of Santa Barbara County. Here we call attention … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Anthropology, Archaeology, Artifacts, Benchmarks, Chumash, Cupules, Cuyama, History, Indians, Native Americans, USGS
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Save Old Mission Sycamore … __ __ __ …
The sycamore sprout on the tree that refuses to give up. For years I’ve watched from the window of my passing vehicle the historic sycamore stump adjacent Santa Barbara’s Old Mission resprout, and get whacked. Every time the tree pops … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Historic Landmarks, History, Landscapes, Nature, Old Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Sycamore, Symbiosis, Travel, Trees, Wildlife
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3 Comments
Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
Yellow lupine on Pine Mountain, Los Padres National Forest, Ventura County (May 2025) I came across the first quote below back in 2019 when reading M. Kat Anderson’s extraordinary book, Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of … Continue reading →
Initials of J.D. Reyes (1907)
J.D. Reyes served the length of his duty as a United States Forest Service ranger, from 1900 to 1931, in Santa Barbara National Forest, later renamed Los Padres several years after his retirement. When his family first settled in the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Anthropology, backcountry, Caves, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, J.D. Reyes, Los Padres National Forest, United States Forest Service, Wilderness
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5 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 