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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
- Matías Reyes, Santa Barbara Mission (1887)
- Bedrock Mortar On Munson Creek, Pine Mountain
- Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: A Female Robinson Crusoe (1897)
- Indian Creek Waterfalls and Narrows
- Rock Art Ramblin', Searching For Chumash Pictographs
- A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
- Mono Narrows Camp
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Fire Poppy (Papaver californicum)
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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
Category Archives: Santa Barbara
Lion’s Mane, the Smart Mushroom
“H. erinaceus can be considered as useful therapeutic agents in the management and/or treatment of neurodegeneration diseases.” A comprehensive review of the therapeutic effects of Hericium erinaceus in neurodegenerative disease (2014) “Hericium erinaceus, an edible and medicinal mushroom, displays various … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Foraging, Hiking, Lion's Mane, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Nature, Public Lands, Santa Barbara, Wild Foods, Wilderness
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3 Comments
Horripilation
A summer morning in the Santa Barbara backcountry. Weigh your counsel, Priest, he said. We are all here together. Yonder sun is like the eye of God and we will cook impartially upon this great siliceous griddle I do assure … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Creative Nonfiction, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Public Lands, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, Writing
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5 Comments
Foreclosure
They outlawed walking in the forest. They said it was too dangerous. They told me it was “critical” that I didn’t walk in the woods for my “own safety” and that of others. They said the conditions in other places … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged COVID-19, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Non-fiction, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, US Politics, Wilderness, Wildfires, Writing
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23 Comments
Halibut Surf Fishing
“Conservation of animals and plants was a burning, emotional, personal issue. A properly socialized individual had a powerful sense that the wild world was feeding him, and he ought to be as grateful and as anxious to act decently as … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Beach, Fish, Fishing, Halibut, Nature, Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara, Sea, Wildlife
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Summer of Serpents of Rattlers Beware
California mountain kingsnake on Figueroa Mountain. Not to be confused with a California kingsnake: Killer Kingsnake Eats Water Snake “To combat the boredom, I occasionally drove over the coastal range and into the Santa Ynez Valley to hike the trails … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Hiking, Lockdowns, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Rattlesnakes, Santa Barbara, Snakes, Wilderness, Wildlife
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7 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 