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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
- Dick Smith on Forest Access
- Meadow Camp (Dick Smith Wilderness)
- Renaming Los Padres: Names Of the 1930s
- The Mighty Chanterelle and the Gnarly Oak
- The Candy Bag Bandit
- San Ysidro Falls
- Indian Creek Waterfalls and Narrows
- The Pine Mountain Punisher: 22 Mile Day Hike
- Fitzgerald's Fit: Man Leads Work Crew To Wreck Montecito Hot Springs
- Barger Canyon Arch
Photos from the blog
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Latest Dispatches
- 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
- Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
- Mark of Conquest: Benchmark and Mortar
Lunar Phase

Tag Archives: Nature
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
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
The Clattering Seep at Lizard’s Mouth
Apologies offered for the vertical video syndrome. You’ve heard of the babbling brook. Everybody’s written about it. Well, meet here the clattering seep. I’m fascinated by small things in nature other people are oblivious to and even when clued into … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Hiking, Hiking (2), Lizard's Mouth, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness
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6 Comments
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













