Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure

Pine Mountain Sunburst

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Jack Elliott

A view from the north slope of Pine Mountain on Sunday.

Posted in Ventura | Tagged Snow, Sunburst | Leave a comment

Burnin’ Past the Butt Wigglers

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Jack Elliott

The snow has fallen light and deep Soon will come all powder freaks To carve and shred the mountain tops Until they sit for a swig of Schnapps A nip here and there as they convene Then they’re off like a pack of fiends To search the mountain for some fresh And out of bounds for all the rest Dropping the hill for the last time A butt wigglin’ skier they are sure to find Blowing by him like there is no tomorrow They’re off on their way home only to follow

Homewood, Lake Tahoe

Burying the heelside rail.

Laying down some S-turns on the white corduroy.

Plenty of tree runs, too.

And wide open freshies.

Posted in Lake Tahoe | Tagged Lake Tahoe, Snapshots, Snow, Snowboarding | Leave a comment

Snow Day on Pine Mountain, Chorro Grande Falls

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Jack Elliott

Thanks to the snowfall and heavy cloud cover, which had the added benefit of keeping the crowds away, the weather on Saturday made for an exceptional day of hiking on Pine Mountain.

North slope of Pine Mountain.

Highway 33

A snow-covered Chorro Grande Trail.

Chorro Grande Falls

Related Posts:

Blistered on the Chorro Grande Trail

An Arrowhead, Fossils and Bear Tracks on Pine Mountain or Return to Chorro Grande

Posted in Ventura | Tagged Chorro Grande, highway 33, Pine Mountain, Sespe, Snapshots, Ventura County | 4 Comments

Soda Lake Reflections, Carrizo Plain National Monument

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Jack Elliott

After a perfect cloudless day that looked as if it was manufactured to precise specifications in a laboratory, I woke the next day with eager anticipation and headed to the Carrizo Plain. Unfortunately it was overcast, but otherwise a pleasant afternoon out on the remote grassland. The land is still cloaked in wintry looking, muted neutral tones. Only a tinge of green grass and yellow coreopsis flowers are beginning to color the hills, hinting at the promise of spring.

Looking over Soda Lake at Mt. Pinos.

Temblor Range

Clouds gathered in late afternoon and a light wind put a texture on the lake that erased the reflection.

Carrizo Plain Wildflowers

Wallace Creek Offset on the San Andreas Fault

Posted in San Luis Obispo | Tagged Carrizo Plain, Carrizo Plain National Monument, Mt. Pinos, Soda Lake, Tales | Leave a comment

Lost Valley and Castle Rock

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Jack Elliott

Early morning fog line. Socked in on one side and cloudless blue skies on the other.

I spent ten hours wandering around up Lost Valley way and covered nearly 12 miles altogether winding and weaving around on and off trail here and there.

I rolled into Nira Campground early Tuesday morning and nobody was around. I smiled. I didn’t see a single person all day.

It was a chilly, blustery day without a cloud in the sky. I walked up Lost Valley Trail eventually making my way past twin oaks camp, and on up the switch back section of the old road cut and through the small potrero.

A stiff wind was howling across the land, as it often does, and in it I could feel the same timeless force jabbing at me that has been carving the area’s sandstone formations for eons.

The throaty cackle of ravens and the howl of wind across desolate stretches of chaparral and sandstone, that’s the sound I always appreciate when I’m up in that area. The problem with a day hike is that I get up the trail a good distance and just want to keep going.

The approach to so-called Castle Rock. There is another formation named on maps, Castle Rock, which is on lower Manzana Creek.

The grassy nook on top of Castle Rock with Hurricane Deck defining the skyline on the right.

A view of Hurricane Deck from Lost Valley Trail. Castle Rock is noted center frame with the small red dot.

Looking over the potrero toward Hurricane Deck in the distance.

Looking east from Lost Valley Trail.

The wind is scouring out these roundish little balls of stone from the larger sandstone bedrock formations. These naturally carved marble-like pellets have been eroded free from their lithic encasement and blown together by the hundreds in some places. Elsewhere they are still connected to the bedrock, some nearly freed and others just a bump starting to emerge.