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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
- The Origin of the Name "California" and the Island Myth
- Lower Lion Canyon, Sierra Madre Mountains
- About
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Santa Barbara Shore Whaling (1870-93)
- Meadow Camp (Dick Smith Wilderness)
- Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: A Female Robinson Crusoe (1897)
- A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
- Language of Forest Closure; Assault on an Ancient Right
- Dick Smith Calling a Condor, Piru 1970
Photos from the blog
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Latest Dispatches
- Lobster Poachers?
- Dick Smith on Forest Access
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Niño
- Language of Forest Closure; Assault on an Ancient Right
- 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
Lunar Phase

Category Archives: Santa Barbara
Figueroa Mtn Freedom: Violating the COVID-19 Lockdown Order
A vernal pool on Figueroa Mountain. A male and female mallard were seen in the pool. March 27, 2020 I find it difficult to live in a society governed without reason. My mind operates logically. I am irascible by nature. … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Camping, Coronavirus, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, News, Outdoors, Wilderness
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27 Comments
Jack’s Custom Deluxe Super Premium Los Padres Liniment
Cottonwood trees showing fall color along the Santa Ynez River in Santa Barbara County. “Well the summertime has gone,” Van Morrison sings. “And the leaves are gently turning.” And come fall season in Santa Barbara County the black cottonwood trees … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Beauty, Foraging, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Pics, Santa Ynez Mountains, Trees, Wildcraft, Wilderness
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1 Comment
Native American Cupule Boulder Discovered
Mortar No trail leads there. A careless body could fall along the way and be bloodied up, break a bone, die busted and splattered across the sharp angular stones of canyon rip-rap and jumbled boulders and bedrock slabs. Such has … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Anthropology, Archaeology, Chumash, Hiking, History, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Rock Art, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
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2 Comments
Chaparral
Slopes of chaparral in the Santa Ynez Mountains. On down the slopes and all the way to the canyons was a thicket of varied shrubs that changed in character as altitude fell but was everywhere dense enough to stop an … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Chaparral, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, San Rafael Wilderness, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
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3 Comments
The Rescue of a Baby Lion
The fleeting, odd bit of noise sounded mechanical when it first hit my ear. But we were in a designated wilderness wherein nothing of the sort is allowed. And so brief was the sound I almost wasn’t sure I heard … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Chumash Wilderness, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mountain Lions, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Wildlife
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12 Comments













