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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
- El Saucito Ranch House, Carrizo Plain (1878)
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Eating Poison Oak
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- From Graffiti to Graffito, Trash To Treasure
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Teardrop, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Tarantula Mating Season, Santa Barbara County
- Native Steelhead of Yore
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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 County
Lazy Day in the Hills: A Canyon Hike Called Off
View of the sunrise on my way up Figueroa Mountain and into Santa Barbara’s San Rafael Wilderness. I left the trailhead at 7 am, but was already back by 3 pm. Lack of sleep and fatigued combined with shriveled enthusiasm … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Deer, Hiking, Outdoors, Photos, Pics, Sunrise, Wildlife
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7 Comments
John Haines On Pool Rock
Tafoni formations on Pool Rock. “John Haines, whose experience hunting, trapping and surviving as a homesteader in the Alaskan wilderness fueled his outpouring of haunting poetry of endless cold nights, howling wolves and deep, primitive dreams, died on Wednesday in … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Archaeology, Chumash, Hiking, History, Indians, Petroglyphs, Photos, Pics, Pictographs, Rock Art
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2 Comments
Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
I flushed this sucker out of the bushes a few days ago when stomping through the brush. He trotted out into a small clearing and up onto a low rise in the land, where he then sat and watched me … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Foxes, Gray Fox, Hiking, Hiking (2), Nature, Outdoors, Photos, Pics, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Wildlife
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2 Comments
Two Arches, Gaviota Coast
I hiked to the two arches amid the rocky crags of the Gaviota Coast. Along the way on the ridgeline leading to the arches, there is a mountaintop grassy flat shaded by a few gnarled, lichen covered oak trees that … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Caves, Gaviota, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Nature, Outdoors, Pacific Ocean, Photos, Pics, Rocks, Wildlife
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3 Comments
Slippery Rock Stagecoach Road (19th Century)
Crossing Slippery Rock in the mountains above the Goleta Valley, along the original San Marcos Pass route over the Santa Ynez Mountains. The Pacific Ocean defines the horizon in the background. © Denver Public Library, Western History Collection “Santa Barbara … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Hiking, History, Landscapes, Non-fiction, Old West, Photos, Pics, San Marcos Pass, Santa Ynez Mountains, Slippery Rock, Stagecoaches
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15 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 