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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
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Western Fence Lizard (blue-belly)
- Carrizo Plain Wildflowers: Temblor Range, San Luis Obispo County
- Chocolate Lily
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Tafoni Weathered Stone
- Rock Art Ramblin', Searching For Chumash Pictographs
- Birabent Canyon and Grass Mountain
- Barger Canyon Arch
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Latest Dispatches
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Nino
- 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
- Mark of Conquest: Benchmark and Mortar
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
Lunar Phase

Category Archives: Santa Barbara
Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
This oak and these boulders were slated to be the backyard of a few people, but activist efforts by Save the San Marcos Foothills coalition rescued the area for the many people of the public at large; surely of much … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Anthropology, Archaeology, Artifacts, Chumash, Hiking, Indians, Native Americans, Outdoors, San Marcos Foothills Preserve, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains
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5 Comments
Fog Drip Morels
Sans soil. Every day, for weeks now, a marine layer swamps the coast so far this spring, cool and sometimes spritzing. I wake to the rhythmic tap of fog drip falling through the rain gutters. May 5 morels. Measurable precipitation … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Camping, Fieldcraft, Foraging, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wild Foods, Wildlife
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Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
Walking tracks, west of town. Keep on keeping on. This offering relates to the preceding, Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar. The previous post mentioned the Modoc War of 1872-73 in California. Emphasis has been added below to highlight portions … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged American Indian Wars, History, Hope Ranch, Indians, Modoc Indians, Native Americans, Place Names, Santa Barbara, Street Names, Walker A Tompkins, Yankee Barbarenos
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Mark of Conquest: Benchmark and Mortar
United States Coast & Geodetic Survey benchmark (1872) on a Chumash mortar stone, Santa Barbara County. “The reverence attached to the artifacts of history is a thing men feel. One could even say that what endows any thing with significance … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Artifacts, Backpacking, Chumash, History, Indian Wars, Indians, Legacy of Conquest, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains
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1 Comment
Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
Pope Francis died this morning, Easter Monday. An incredible date for such a man to pass on. The extraordinary event called to mind the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the second and third presidents of the United States, … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
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