Category Archives: Santa Barbara

Turkey Vulture

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Jack Elliott

A turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) soaring on the thermals above East Camino Cielo Road high atop the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara. According to a widely accepted theory in ornithology, turkey vultures use their feces to help cool themselves … Continue reading →

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Hankins Falls

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Jack Elliott

Hankins Falls as seen last March from Old San Marcos Pass.

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Freediving For Spiny Lobster

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Jack Elliott

We’re in the midst of the frantic first four days of lobster season. Those initial 96 hours when recreational fishermen get a jump on the commercial trappers. And, in my experience, piss off a few of them by taking what … Continue reading →

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Laguna Blanca Lake

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Jack Elliott

Laguna Blanca lake surrounded by the sprawling green fairways of La Cumbre Country Club. The shifting of earth’s crust along nearby fault lines created the depression known as Laguna Blanca Basin in Hope Ranch, an unincorporated suburb in Santa Barbara … Continue reading →

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Santa Barbara Seen Through A Sailor’s Eyes (1835)

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Jack Elliott

In the following passage taken from his acclaimed travel narrative, Two Years Before the Mast (1841), Richard Henry Dana, Jr. describes landing on the beach at Santa Barbara on January 14, 1835 after a five month voyage from Boston. Dana … Continue reading →

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