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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
- Language of Forest Closure; Assault on an Ancient Right
- California Slender Salamander
- A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
- Eating Poison Oak
- Indian Creek Waterfalls and Narrows
- Dinosaur Footprints, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Slippery Rock Stagecoach Road (19th Century)
- Alice Keck Park Park
- Mark of Conquest II: Benchmark and Mortar
- Santa Barbara Seen Through A Sailor's Eyes (1835)
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Latest Dispatches
- 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
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
Lunar Phase

Tag Archives: Hiking
The Rescue of a Baby Lion
The fleeting, odd bit of noise sounded mechanical when it first hit my ear. But we were in a designated wilderness wherein nothing of the sort is allowed. And so brief was the sound I almost wasn’t sure I heard … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Chumash Wilderness, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mountain Lions, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Wildlife
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12 Comments
The Chumash Arrowhead
April 2019 Black So what am I supposed to do with you, Professor? White Why are you supposed to do anything? Black I done told you. This aint none of my doin. I left out of here … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Chumash, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Wilderness
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12 Comments
The Mood Altering Stream Orchid
A stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea) growing near the Santa Ynez River in late May of 2019. Stream orchids grow where constant water is found at seeps, springs and perennial streams. The plant is known for its mood altering and sedative … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, wildflowers, Wildlife
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4 Comments
US Coast Survey Patterson Camp Inscription Vandalism (1873)
Inside a cave in the Santa Ynez Mountains on the Gaviota Coast somebody carved an inscription memorializing the United States Coast Survey of 1873. The name is apparently in reference to Carlile P. Patterson, the Hydrographic Inspector for the USCS … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Caves, Gaviota Coast, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Los Padres National Forest, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Travel
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3 Comments
A Rocky Killdeer Nest
Santa Ynez River Long days on the river. Six. Seven. Eight hour sessions. The sun. The wind. The sweet mineral scent of the cool emerald water. Jet airliners soar over the Santa Ynez Mountains trackless and silent through the depthless … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Pics, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
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13 Comments



