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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
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Old Mission Santa Barbara
- 'Akaka Falls, Hawaii & Cliff Climbing Goby
- Teardrop, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Indian Creek Waterfalls and Narrows
- Stumbling Upon Chumash Rock Art
- Ancient Artifact: Eccentric Chipped Stone Crescent
- Tafoni Weathered Stone
- Matías Reyes, Santa Barbara Mission (1887)
- Eating Poison Oak
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Latest Dispatches
- 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
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
- Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
- Barefoot Prints In Volcanic Ash, Hawaii (1790)
- Skinny-Dipper Detained, Cuffed and Cited at Montecito Hot Springs
- Red Horny Toad
Lunar Phase
Category Archives: Santa Barbara
California Stream Orchid (Epipactis gigantea)
A California stream orchid growing beneath a large boulder beside a seep in an otherwise dry creek feeding into a seasonal tributary of the Santa Ynez River. I think that all but the keenest, most experienced observers would never suspect … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Epipactis gigantea, Hiking, iPhonography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Orchids, Photos, Plants, Santa Ynez Mountains, wildflowers, Writing
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11 Comments
Teardrop, Santa Ynez Mountains
Bare bunned at Teardrop. Teardrop was named for its shape. It’s a small swimming hole, a large bathtub, bored out of sandstone bedrock visually and audibly accented by a waterfall dropping into its emerald water. Like many swimming holes, its … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Creeks, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhonography, Nature, Photos, Santa Ynez Mountains, Swimming Holes, Teardrop, Writing
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11 Comments
Steelhead Fishing, Santa Ynez River (1948)
A tributary of the Santa Ynez River which once was the spawning grounds of thirty-inch steelhead. Seventy years ago the Santa Ynez River in Santa Barbara County was known in California as “the most productive of all the little steelhead … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Angling, Fishing, History, Nature, Photos, Santa Ynez River, Steelhead, Travel, Trout, Wildlife, Writing
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5 Comments
Western Fence Lizard (blue-belly)
A blue-belly lizard on a fallen log atop Pine Mountain in the Sespe Wilderness. Blue-belly lizards always interested me as a boy. Sort of like a cat attracted to movement, they naturally captured my attention when they scurried around on … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Blue Belly Lizard, Camping, Hiking, Lizards, Nature, Photography, Photos, Pics, Science, Western Fence Lizard
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6 Comments
Rain Beetle
A drop of rainwater suspended in a spider web stuck to the underside of a boulder. Prior to the recent few downpours last month in late February and early this March, it hadn’t rained in a long time. Just a … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Beetles, Bugs, Drought, Hiking, Insects, Nature, Non-fiction, Photos, Rain, Wildlife
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3 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 