Category Archives: Santa Barbara

Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus Titanum)

Post peak bloom, starting to wilt. It’s a fleeting display lasting only hours. I went out to the University of California, Santa Barbara to see the corpse flower in bloom, a titan arum named “Chanel.” In the wild it’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gaviota Pass Overlook, Gaviota State Park

The Gaviota Coast and Santa Ynez Mountains. “The Gaviota Coast is the largest stretch of undeveloped coastline remaining in Southern California, and is representative of the only coastal Mediterranean ecosystem in North America.” —Gaviota Coast Conservancy Surf in the morning. … Continue reading

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Marijuana in the Woods: Endangering Hikers and Killing Wildlife

Marijuana growing in the Los Padres National Forest. (Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department) Marijuana Increasingly Grown In National Forests According to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, “large-scale marijuana cultivation is a serious and increasingly widespread problem on public lands in California, … Continue reading

Posted in Santa Barbara County, Ventura County | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

100° Hike

Santa Ynez Valley viticulture as seen on drive to trailhead. It’s an ordinary summer day. It’s not one of those media hyped heat wave events, but it’s supposed to be hot out. Such forecasts don’t really apply to the backcountry, … Continue reading

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Remarkable Auto Tour In Southern California (1907)

“. . .we located a ford and secured two men and a team of horses to tow us through the current, which was very swift.” The following passage, excerpted from the journal of a businessman named J. B. Powles, was … Continue reading

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments