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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
- The Snow Frosted Waterfalls of Rose Valley (+ Video)
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- About
- Pine Mountain Fossil Foray
- Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Lassoing Grizzlies (1904)
- Mono Narrows, The Old Oak Dies
- Fish Falls, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Fallen Rock Chumash Pictograph Rock Art
- Miner's Rock Cabin at Eagle Cliff (1890)
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
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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: History
Point Conception, the Cape Horn of the Pacific
A mural of Point Conception lighthouse painted on the exterior of a building in Lompoc, California, Santa Barbara County. An accompanying reader board describes the surrounding coastline as “the mariner’s stretch of nightmare coast known as ‘the graveyard of ships.’” … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged History, Illustrations, Lighthouses, Non-fiction, Ocean, Pacific, Point Conception, Richard Henry Dana Jr., Sailing, Sea, Writing
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4 Comments
Salmon Choking the Santa Ynez (1896)
Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (c) Timothy Knepp – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The following newspaper brief was published in the San Francisco Call on March 11, 1896 and testifies to the way things once were not all that long ago … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Fish, Fishing, History, Lompoc, Nature, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Salmon, Santa Ynez River, Steelhead, Trout, Wildlife, Writing
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Mussel Harvest At Low Tide: Modern Man, Ancient Practice
It’s been 80 degrees the last few days; winter in Santa Barbara. The negative low tides of winter offer a great chance to get the kids out on the beach exploring tide pools and instill in them a curiosity and … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Beach, Chumash, Foraging, History, Indians, iPhoneography, Mussels, Nature, Ocean, Seafood, Wildcrafting, Writing
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4 Comments
The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
Sisquoc Falls, located in a restricted condor sanctuary in the San Rafael Wilderness, is officially off-limits to the general public. The following narrative was originally published in the Santa Maria Times in 1884. It chronicles the bushwhacking exploratory adventure of … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, History, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, San Rafael Wilderness, Sisquoc River, Writing
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6 Comments
Piss Pot Flat Campground
P-Bar Flat Campground along the upper Santa Ynez River began as a private hunting camp around 1916. It was originally known as “Piss Pot Flat,” a name taken from a chamber pot that hung on a post and was used … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Campgrounds, Camping, Campsites, History, Los Padres National Forest, P-Bar, Photos, Pics, Upper Santa Ynez River
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Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 