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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
- Swordfish Cave, Earliest Chumash Rock Art On California's Central Coast
- Eating Poison Oak
- The Snow Frosted Waterfalls of Rose Valley (+ Video)
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Tafoni Weathered Stone
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- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- California Slender Salamander
- Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar
- The Ol' Swimmin' Hole
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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
Tag Archives: Backpacking
Thoughts on Rare Lily Ojai Fritillaria and Indian Fire
Earlier this year in March, out scampering around in the Los Padres National Forest, I stumbled across a rather impressive stand of a rare wildflower, Fritillaria ojaiensis or the Ojai Fritillaria lily. I had previously noted this Seldom Seen Slim … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, wildflowers, Wildlife
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16 Comments
Parks Management Company’s Red Rock Racket Continues
Santa Ynez River “The writer’s duty to speak the truth—especially unpopular truth. Especially truth that offends the powerful, the rich, the well-established, the traditional, the mythic, the sentimental. To attack, when the time makes it necessary, the sacred cows of … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Parks Management Company, Red Rock, Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Ynez River
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61 Comments
Horny Toad
“It was a rough land that bred a tough man.” —Louis L’Amour, Utah Blaine (1984) The observer may glean some insight into the nature of the land by looking at its native inhabitants. When you’re wearing a helmet of horns and shrouded … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Lizards, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, San Rafael Wilderness, Santa Barbara, Wildlife
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6 Comments
Chocolate Lily
Fritillaria biflora Argh. The entire state of California (yes, that’s hyperbole) at the moment seems to be either gripped by what journalists and the news media love to hype as a wildflower “super bloom” or is suffering in the throes … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Pics, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, wildflowers
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6 Comments
The Mighty Chanterelle and the Gnarly Oak
Santa Barbara County Chanterelle “In an oak forest alone, more than a hundred different species of fungi may be present in different parts of the roots of the same tree. From the oak’s point of view, this is a very … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Foraging, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
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5 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 