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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, . . .”
Search Jack’s Blog
Recently Read
- The Origin of the Name "California" and the Island Myth
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Lower Lion Canyon, Sierra Madre Mountains
- About
- Tarantula Mating Season, Santa Barbara County
- Lobster Poachers?
- Santa Barbara Shore Whaling (1870-93)
- 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
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
A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
A mural in Lompoc, Santa Barbara County depicting a seaside Chumash village scene. Little of what Bill said made reasonable sense. He stood on the other side of his termite infested, dry-rotted, wobbly fence, which was missing slats and had … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Adventure, Archaeology, Art, Blog, Chumash, Native Americans, People, Pictographs, Rock Art, Santa Barbara, Travel, Writing
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12 Comments
