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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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- The Origin of the Name "California" and the Island Myth
- Lower Lion Canyon, Sierra Madre Mountains
- About
- Tarantula Mating Season, Santa Barbara County
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Santa Barbara Shore Whaling (1870-93)
- Lobster Poachers?
- Old Mission Santa Barbara
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Meadow Camp (Dick Smith Wilderness)
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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
Matías Reyes, Santa Barbara Mission (1887)
“Old Matías Reyes lived in Mission Cañon. He used to bring wood to town and sell it.” —Santa Barbara: Tierra Adorada, A Community History (1930) In her book, “Canyon Voices: The Nature of Rattlesnake Canyon (2006),” Santa Barbara resident Karen Telleen-Lawton … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, History, Old Mission, Photography, Rattlesnake Canyon, Santa Barbara Mission, Steelhead, Travel
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4 Comments
Mastodon & Mammoth Sign: Reading Trees in the Santa Ynez Mountains
Santa Ynez Mountains “Elephants’ habit of snapping or uprooting trees could explain why species such as oak, ash, beech, lime, sycamore, field maple, sweet chestnut, hazel, alder and willow can regrow from the point at which the stem is broken. … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Los Padres National Forest, Mammoths, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Writing
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4 Comments
Arlington, Cathedral, La Cumbre Peaks Scramble & More
The stairway to Arlington climbing out of Mission Canyon. “Genji climbed the hill behind the temple and looked off toward the city. The forests receded into a spring haze. ‘Like a painting,’ he said. ‘People who live in such a … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Arlington Peak, Cathedral Peak, Hiking, Hiking (2), La Cumbre Peak, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains
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10 Comments
Sage Hill Wildflowers
California poppies on Grass Mountain, Zaca Ridge, Figueroa Mountain 3-26-2016 Around these here parts, in a mild climate with little to no snow, the wildflower blooms mark one of the few striking signals of seasonal change. The go-to sites in Santa … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, lupine, Nature, Photography, Pics, poppies, Santa Barbara, Travel, wildflowers
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6 Comments
Black Cottonwood Wildcraft
A dribble of resin oozing from the leaf bud of a black cottonwood tree (Populus trichocarpa) growing along the Santa Ynez River. Black cottonwood buds may hold the finest natural fragrance found in the Los Padres National Forest. The gooey … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Balm of Gilead, Camping, Foraging, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Ynez Mountains, Trees, Wildcraft
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3 Comments
