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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
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Chanterelle Mushrooms
- Bodie, California Ghost Town
- Dinosaur Footprints, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Burro Schmidt Tunnel and Shanty (1906-1930s)
- Widow's Tears Falls, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Rock Art Ramblin', Searching For Chumash Pictographs
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Western Fence Lizard (blue-belly)
- Santa Barbara Seen Through A Sailor's Eyes (1835)
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Latest Dispatches
- The Exceptional Sundowner Winds of Santa Barbara
- Lobster Poachers?
- Dick Smith on Forest Access
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Niño
- 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
Lunar Phase

Tag Archives: Nature
The Exceptional Sundowner Winds of Santa Barbara
Ninety degrees on the beach at sunset, 6:19, October 24, 2017. Autumn’s sweet We call it fall —Red Hot Chili Peppers It’s 2:30 and 93 degrees right now as I write this. Fall’s sweet, we call it summer. Perhaps the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Beach, Fire, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, wind
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Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
As dead as it looks, that stump is still very much alive, although the tree may have been cut down decades ago. The old sycamore stump sprout has been razed yet again. A maintenance worker apparently snipped it off when … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged History, Landscapes, Natural History, Nature, Old Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Sycamore, Sycamores, Tree City USA, Trees, Wildlife
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2 Comments
Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
A friend captured this snapshot while sitting in camp creekside waiting for me to show up. We had left town at different times, arrived at the trailhead apart, and met up later in the afternoon. I arrived just in time … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Bald Eagles, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Mazana Creek, Nature, Raptors, San Rafael Wilderness, Wilderness, Wildlife
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2 Comments
When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Niño
“Transmit the message To the receiver Hope for an answer someday” —Talking Heads, Life During Wartime San Marcos Foothills Preserve Political Theatre “Monkeywrenching can also be seen as a sophisticated political tactic that dramatizes ecological issues and places them before … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Public Lands, San Rafael Wilderness, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
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Language of Forest Closure; Assault on an Ancient Right
Santa Ynez River once hosted the largest steelhead run in California south of San Francisco. “National Mall site approved for memorial to fallen journalists The site, which has a direct view of the Capitol, was chosen to evoke journalists’ role … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
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6 Comments













