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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
- Petroglyph, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Eating Poison Oak
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Summer of Serpents of Rattlers Beware
- Lost Valley, Hurricane Deck, Potrero Cyn 20 Mile Day Hike
- The Ol' Swimmin' Hole
- Goddard Campground: The Lost Jewel of West Camino Cielo
- California Slender Salamander
- Pine Mountain Fossil Foray
- Old Cold Spring Tunnel (1897)
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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: Los Padres National Forest
Black Bear
I was lounging around camp in midafternoon boiling the billy. Had me a relaxation station set up in the shade of a tree, an air mattress propped up against a boulder as a makeshift recliner, and a long view down … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Bears, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Wildlife
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12 Comments
The Slot at Devil’s Playground
Devil’s Playground topside, Santa Ynez Mountains. There are two worlds in Devil’s Playground. The topside and the underside. The upper dimension is one of expansive sky, farsighted coastal views and the blinding sunlight and heat of a southward sloping mountainside … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Caves and Rocks, Devil's Playground, Hiking, iPhonography, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Santa Ynez Mountains
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3 Comments
California Stream Orchid (Epipactis gigantea)
A California stream orchid growing beneath a large boulder beside a seep in an otherwise dry creek feeding into a seasonal tributary of the Santa Ynez River. I think that all but the keenest, most experienced observers would never suspect … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Epipactis gigantea, Hiking, iPhonography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Orchids, Photos, Plants, Santa Ynez Mountains, wildflowers, Writing
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11 Comments
Montecito Peak, Santa Ynez Mountains
Montecito Peak, Santa Ynez Mountains Numerous parked cars line the road at the trailhead when I arrive one September morning. Several people in different small groups linger about getting ready for a walk or returning therefrom. A few voices resonate … Continue reading →
Rock Art Ramblin’, Searching For Chumash Pictographs
David Stillman standing at the base of the second fall in a series of waterfalls which flow when it rains. So we go and so it is, around this bend and that, up over and down under and around we … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Archaeology, Chumash, Hiking, Indians, iPhoneography, iPhonography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Pictographs, Rock Art
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10 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 