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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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Latest Dispatches
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Nino
- Language of Forest Closure; Assault on an Ancient Right
- March of the Mustard; The Spread of Noxious Weeds
- Mark of Conquest II: Benchmark and Mortar
- Save Old Mission Sycamore … __ __ __ …
- 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
Lunar Phase
Tag Archives: backcountry
Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
Tafoni on a slab of exposed bedrock beside the golden cherry bush. It recalls the mind warp rock n’ roll nightmare of local band, Rich Kids on LSD, and the bubbles on their Reactivate album cover. “Of all our native … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Chumash, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
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Red Horny Toad
Out for a walk with Larrold. An unremarkable lesser ridge among the rumpled hills. Chapparal, pine, gravel and grit. Then a flash of tiny red life running cumbersome from the fringe of the trail. Startling in its ochre hue and … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Hiking, Horny Toad, Lizards, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
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1 Comment
The Economy of Direction and Sharing of Secret Places
Clouds over the Santa Ynez Mountains, December 14, 2024. Akin to the asperitas clouds of November, 2023. “Rumours circulate about entry points which might give access to unseen spaces. Secrets are jealously guarded, closely shared. The subculture has its subcultures. … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Anthropology, backcountry, Chumash, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Pictographs, Rock Art, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
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10 Comments
The Mysterious Three Stone Stack
Who? Why? When? The rocks did not fall from the wall or ceiling of the cave that I could tell. There is no trace of a break or fracture in the cave or some such occurrence that may have sent … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Artifacts, backcountry, Caves, Chumash, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
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1 Comment
Figueroa Mountain Bug Bloom
Along the road to bugville in autumn. Springtime wildflower blooms on Figueroa Mountain capture all the attention. But I’ve long marveled, too, at the winter ladybug blooms of the mountain. December 2023 I hold onto a childhood memory of ladybugs … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Figueroa Mountain, Hiking, Ladybugs, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, Wildlife
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7 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 