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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
- The Day Hell Hit Santa Barbara; Third Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded on Earth
- Rock Art Ramblin', Searching For Chumash Pictographs
- Petroglyph, Santa Ynez Mountains
- On Adventure
- The Privateer; Subcontractor, Dept. of Unauthorized Forestry
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Lower Lion Canyon, Sierra Madre Mountains
- A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
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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
Deluge and Drought In Santa Barbara County
Cachuma Lake at Bradbury Dam, September 2013. The reservoir is well below the floodgates and currently less than half full. It seldom rains in Santa Barbara. “Probably the most striking feature of Santa Barbara County,” a story published in the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Cachuma Lake, Camping, Drought, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Precipitation, Rain, Writing
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1 Comment
Piss Pot Flat Campground
P-Bar Flat Campground along the upper Santa Ynez River began as a private hunting camp around 1916. It was originally known as “Piss Pot Flat,” a name taken from a chamber pot that hung on a post and was used … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Campgrounds, Camping, Campsites, History, Los Padres National Forest, P-Bar, Photos, Pics, Upper Santa Ynez River
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Stealing Condor Eggs (1899)
An illustration originally published in the San Francisco Call newspaper in 1911. “CALIFORNIA CONDOR A RARE BIRD WHOSE EGGS ARE VALUED AT $18,000 A DOZEN It is not generally known that among the fads of the day the collecting of … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Birds, Condors, History, Nature, Non-fiction, Photos, San Roque Canyon, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildlife, Writing
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7 Comments
Pit Viper On Arroyo Burro Trail
Chumash bedrock mortars in Barger Canyon below Arroyo Burro Trail. Arroyo Burro Trail purportedly follows an historic Chumash Indian route over the Santa Ynez Mountains linking the Santa Barbara coastal plain to the Santa Ynez Valley. In the foothills below … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Arroyo Burro Trail, Hiking, iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Rattlesnake, Snakes, Survival, Wildlife, Writing
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6 Comments
California Condor; Timeline of Tragedy and Hope
A California condor soaring over Sespe Wilderness. 1890—California condor population estimated at 600. 1982—Only 22 California condors alive in the world. 1985—A single breeding pair survive for the entire species. 1987—The last wild condor is captured from Bitter Creek National … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Birds, Condors, Nature, Photo, Photos, Santa Barbara Zoo, Sespe Wilderness, Vultures, Wildlife
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3 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 