Tag Archives: Nature

Fight With a Condor: Experience of a Forest Ranger in Santa Barbara County (1902)

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Jack Elliott

Although the forest ranger mentioned in the newspaper article below is Joseph Montgomery, I wonder if it may actually have been a brief about Josiah T. Montgomery, for whom Montgomery Potrero atop the Sierra Madre Mountains is named. I do … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Condors, History, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Newspapers, Santa Barbara, Sisquoc, Vultures, Wildlife | 1 Comment

Piedra Blanca Creek West, Descent From Pine Mountain Lodge Camp

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Jack Elliott

A smidgeon of Piedra Blanca. “Civilization has a relatively precarious hold on us and there is an undoubted attraction in a life of absolute freedom once it has been tasted. The ‘call o’ the wild’ is in the blood of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ventura County | Tagged Backpacking, Bears, Camping, Creeks, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Piedra Blanca Creek, Pine Mountain, Sespe Wilderness, Wildlife | 6 Comments

Hunting Desert Bighorn Sheep

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Jack Elliott

A preserved desert bighorn sheep in the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. “. . .the most modern hunters, the men who sally forth with rapid cameras instead of repeating express rifles, who press a high speed shutter instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Backcountry, Fauna | Tagged Backpacking, Bighorn Sheep, Camping, Hiking, Hunting, longreads, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Travel, Wildlife, Writing | 5 Comments

Wilder Than I Thought

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Jack Elliott

I stood daydreaming with my back to the river when a loud slap broke from behind me, the sound of something smacking the surface of the water. It was pushing toward 100 degrees and I had just climbed out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Beaver, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez River, Wilderness, Wildlife, Writing | 13 Comments

Gabe Surfing Sandbar, Hurricane Marie 8-27-14

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Jack Elliott

Gabe Venturelli making it look easy. Good to see a friend, a Santa Barbara local, getting it like not many people do. In the middle of summer, no less. Pacific love. “Look at this shot of Sandbar yesterday,” my wife … Continue reading →