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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 Snow Frosted Waterfalls of Rose Valley (+ Video)
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- About
- Pine Mountain Fossil Foray
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Lassoing Grizzlies (1904)
- Mono Narrows, The Old Oak Dies
- Fish Falls, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Fallen Rock Chumash Pictograph Rock Art
- Miner's Rock Cabin at Eagle Cliff (1890)
Photos from the blog
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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
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
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Tagged Cars, Gaviota, History, Non-fiction, San Marcos Pass
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4 Comments
Mono Narrows Camp
Mono Jungle under early morning fog. I walked so much I wore down my feet— Do you know how weird that feels? —Shel Silverstein, “Foot Repair” A dense marine layer clings to the Santa Ynez Mountains as I putter up … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, iPhoneography, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Mono Creek, Nature, Photos, Pics
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6 Comments
Indian Creek Waterfalls and Narrows
Santa Barbara backcountry “My companion and I, for I sometimes have a companion, take pleasure in fancying ourselves knights of a new, or rather an old, order, —not Equestrians or Chevaliers, not Ritters or Riders, but Walkers, a still more … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Creeks, Dick Smith Wilderness, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Pics, waterfalls
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6 Comments
Orange Fire, Blue Twilight Along Sisquoc River
“You know to be silent in the wilderness. It is that which matters, to learn to live with silence.” —Louis L’Amour, The Californios (1974) Lying in the dirt beside the campfire, a long hard day’s hike from the nearest road, … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Nature, Photos, Pics, Sisquoc River, Sunset, Writing
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3 Comments
Oil and Animals in the Santa Barbara Channel
Crude oil actively bubbling out of the ground at the beach in Carpinteria, California in Santa Barbara County. Three offshore oil derricks are visible as dots in the distance. “The surface of the sea, which was perfectly smooth and tranquil, … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Beach, Biology, Non-fiction, Ocean, Oil, Pacific Ocean, Petroleum, Reference, Sea Otters, Tar, Wildlife
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16 Comments













