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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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- Eating Poison Oak
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- Save Old Mission Sycamore … __ __ __ …
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
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- Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
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- Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
- Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
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- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
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Lunar Phase

Category Archives: Santa Barbara County
Potrero Canyon, Hurricane Deck, Manzana Creek 20 Mile Day Hike
The circuit I hiked noted on Bing imagery. I woke early and hit the super slab driving up over the Santa Ynez Mountains, across the Santa Ynez Valley and over Figueroa Mountain to the lower Manzana Creek trailhead in the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Hikes, Hiking, Hiking (2), Hurricane Deck, Landscape, Manzana Creek, Nature, San Rafael Wilderness, Sisquoc River, Video, Wilderness
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13 Comments
Valley Oak in Winter Light
A California valley oak (Quercus lobata) standing along Happy Canyon Road in Santa Barbara County.
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Inspiration, Landscape, Nature, Photos, Pics, Sunsets, Trees
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7 Comments
Cuyama Viticulture
“Unlike raisin or fresh grape production, where greater cluster size and quantity were preferred, wine grapes often produced superior vintages on rocky, sandy (e.g., Virg. Georg. 2.346; Colum. Arbor3.6), or even infertile soils, which tended to check productivity and overall … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Agriculture, Cuyama Badlands, Grapes, History, Landscape, Photos, Pics, Vineyards, Viticulture, Wine, Writing
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6 Comments
Turkeys, Bobcats and the Caves of Castle Rock
Along lower Manzana Creek in the Santa Barbara backcountry, a rib of sandstone known to some as Castle Rock (Jack’s Map) juts into the air along the west end of the wind swept ridge officially dubbed Hurricane Deck. This is … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Adventure, Animals, backcountry, Birds, Bobcats, Caves, Hikes, Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photos, Pics, San Rafael Wilderness, Turkeys, Wilderness, Wildlife, Writing
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11 Comments
Gaviota Peak
I hiked up to Gaviota Peak (Jack’s Map) and back via a circuit route, as noted above by the red dots. I began in Gaviota State Park and, following the Gaviota Peak fire road, entered into the Los Padres National … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Adventure, Animals, Caves, Gaviota Peak, Hikes, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscape, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Ocean, Photos, Pics, State Parks, wildflowers
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14 Comments













