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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
- Wild Cucumber, Trout and Pictographs
- Old Mission Santa Barbara
- Fire Poppy (Papaver californicum)
- Largest West Coast Tsunamis Generated in Santa Barbara Channel
- The Ice Can Stove: A Brief History
- Old Cold Spring Tunnel (1897)
- Pine Mountain and Zaca Lake Forest Reserve (1898)
- Selby Rocks, Carrizo Plain
- Mussel Harvest At Low Tide: Modern Man, Ancient Practice
- Otter Point, Gaviota Coast
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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
Lost Valley, Hurricane Deck, Potrero Cyn 20 Mile Day Hike
Hurricane Deck, the prominent ridge defining the skyline. There is no trace of water on Hurricane Deck, no trees and no campgrounds. It’s a 20 mile long ridgeline with south facing cliffs and steep grassy slopes on one side and … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Hiking, Hurricane Deck, iPhoneography, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Lost Valley, Nature, Photos, Pics, San Rafael Wilderness, Writing
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9 Comments
Mountain Lion Might Have Killed Goats in Santa Barbara Neighborhood
[EDIT: 12-12-13] A few days ago a sign was placed beside La Cumbre road warning about a mountain lion that was thought to have killed two pet goats at a house on the bottom of La Cumbre Rd, about a … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Animals, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mountain Lions, Wildlife
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Leave a comment
The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
Sisquoc Falls, located in a restricted condor sanctuary in the San Rafael Wilderness, is officially off-limits to the general public. The following narrative was originally published in the Santa Maria Times in 1884. It chronicles the bushwhacking exploratory adventure of … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, History, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, San Rafael Wilderness, Sisquoc River, Writing
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6 Comments
Grass Mountain & Zaca Peak Via Birabent Canyon
The environs of Figueroa Mountain feature a diverse range of landscape. Open rolling grassland, gravely slopes sparsely studded with moss and lichen covered oaks, other nooks holding denser stands of oak and conifers, flowing creeks in the shady sycamore canopied … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Deer, Figueroa Mountain, Grass Mountain, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Tarantula, Zaca Peak
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11 Comments
Seasonal Change In Wildflower Fields of Figueroa Mountain
March 2013 October 2013
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Figueroa Mountain, Flowers, Hiking, iPhoneography, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, lupine, Nature, Photos, poppies, wildflowers
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1 Comment













