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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
- Rain Beetle
- Time Magazine Story: Chumash Oak Arborglyph in San Luis Obispo County
- Old Cold Spring Tunnel (1897)
- Pine Mountain Fossil Foray
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- White Ledge Peak, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Largest West Coast Tsunamis Generated in Santa Barbara Channel
- Mono Narrows Camp
- Mono Narrows, The Old Oak Dies
- Beachcombing for Fossilized Whale Bones in Santa Barbara County
Photos from the blog
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Latest Dispatches
- The Exceptional Sundowner Winds of Santa Barbara
- 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
Lunar Phase

Category Archives: Santa Barbara
A Skillet Full of Fish
A calico bass might of been the first fish I shot as a kid while spearfishing. They seemed to be the most common, best tasting game in the water at that time. Which merely means that they were largely the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Beach, Fishing, Halibut, Nature, Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Photos, Santa Barbara, Spearfishing, White Seabass, Writing
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3 Comments
Lost Hikers and Search and Rescue
A winter scene in the Santa Ynez Mountains, Los Padres National Forest. “No, I can’t say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.” “I wouldn’t give a tinker’s damn for a man who isn’t sometimes … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Lost Hikers, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Search and Rescue
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17 Comments
Fight With a Condor: Experience of a Forest Ranger in Santa Barbara County (1902)
Although the forest ranger mentioned in the newspaper article below is Joseph Montgomery, I wonder if it may actually have been a brief about Josiah T. Montgomery, for whom Montgomery Potrero atop the Sierra Madre Mountains is named. I do … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Condors, History, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Newspapers, Santa Barbara, Sisquoc, Vultures, Wildlife
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1 Comment
Hericium Hunt: Days Late and Feet Short
A hericium or “Lion’s Mane” mushroom growing on an oak tree, circled in red. With the first rain of the season some weeks ago the countdown had begun until the opening harvest of mushroom season. One week passed. It may … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Foraging, Fungus, Hericium, Hiking, Lion's Mane, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wild Edibles, Wildcrafting
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2 Comments
Wilder Than I Thought
I stood daydreaming with my back to the river when a loud slap broke from behind me, the sound of something smacking the surface of the water. It was pushing toward 100 degrees and I had just climbed out of … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Beaver, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez River, Wilderness, Wildlife, Writing
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13 Comments













