Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure

Chorro Grande Falls, Snow Frosted Pine Mountain

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Jack Elliott

Chorro Grande Falls with Pine Mountain Ridge in the background, Ventura County California.

Posted in Ventura County | Tagged Chorro Grande, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Pics, Pine Mountain, Snow, waterfalls | 3 Comments

La Cumbre Peak Snow

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Jack Elliott

East Camino Cielo Road in the Los Padres National Forest.

A light snow dusted the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara yesterday afternoon. Although it was Saturday, the low cloud cover hugging the peaks kept the snowy mountaintop from being visible from town, which seemed to keep the crowds away.

On my way up a snowy Gibraltar Road I came across a guy straddling his Harley with his back tire caught in a small drainage rut beside the road. He had apparently tried to pull off the slippery road to turn around in a snow covered dirt shoulder and ended up with his tire in the low spot, which he couldn’t throttle or push out of. I stopped to help push him out of the rut and got him on his way as the snow continued to fall.

The picnic area atop La Cumbre Peak (3995′) with Goleta visible far below and the Pacific Ocean.

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Snow | 3 Comments

Gibraltar Rock Waterfall

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Jack Elliott

A seldom flowing waterfall in the Los Padres National Forest, below Gibraltar Rock, on a small tributary of Rattlesnake Canyon creek.The pool at the foot of the falls.

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Photos, Pics, waterfalls | 5 Comments

Ice Company Ads (1920s)

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Jack Elliott

This post is an addition to a previous entry about the history of the ice can stoves found in California’s Los Padres National Forest (The Ice Can Stove: A Brief History). These are makeshift wood burning stoves made from old sheet metal molds once used to freeze water into blocks of ice. The advertisements from local companies were originally published in the Santa Barbara Morning Press in the 1920s.

The first ad below shows a sketch of an ice block in the form of the metal ice can mold it was produced in. “The finished cake is taken from the can,” the ad notes, “and accurately scored into 25 and 50 pound blocks. . . .” As described in the aforementioned post, it was those metal molds, or ice cans, that were used to fabricate the ice can stoves.

Note the telephone number.

An ad celebrating Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta.

Posted in Santa Barbara County, Ventura County | Tagged Backpacking, Hiking, History, Ice Can Stove, Los Padres National Forest | 3 Comments

Oyster Mushrooms

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Jack Elliott

Harvesting oyster mushrooms in the mountains of Santa Barbara County.

I’m just some lunatic macaroni mushroom, is that it?

—Joe Pesci

With recent rains having finally fallen after the usual long dry period in these parts, and the winter transformation of the dry, brown and crispy woodland into a moist and verdant environment of fresh new plant growth, the wild mushrooms have sprouted. I have been making my early season rounds to favorite harvesting sites and taking home some choice wild edibles. My latest pull has been a few oyster mushrooms.

My humble harvest. Though oyster mushrooms regrow on the same logs year after year and as such provide a sustainable source of food, I see no need to take more than I plan to eat.