

-
Join 939 other subscribers
-
“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

-
“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”

Search Jack’s Blog


Recently Read
- Eating Poison Oak
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- Project Sespe Creek: Stage III, Piedra Blanca Beyond Devil's Gate
- Wellhouse Falls and the Waterfalls of Lewis Canyon
- John Haines On Pool Rock
- The Ice Can Stove: A Brief History
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Widow's Tears Falls, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Slippery Rock Stagecoach Road (19th Century)
- Otter Point, Gaviota Coast
Photos from the blog
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
-
Latest Dispatches
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Nino
- 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
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
Lunar Phase

Tag Archives: Nature
Calochortus Fimbriatus, Rare Wildflower
Calochortus fimbriatus, the late-flowered Mariposa lily, is in bloom at the moment in the Santa Ynez Mountains. A patch of the flowers thrives in the droughty dryness and summertime heat on a south facing rocky hillside at this particular location. … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
|
Tagged Calochortus, Flora, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Mariposa Lily, Nature, Photos, Rare Plants, Santa Ynez Mountains, wildflowers
|
2 Comments
Eddy Fields’ Initials, Manzana Creek (Circa 1900)
Blue skies and golden grass along lower Manzana Creek Trail at the Pratt homestead site. “The Pratts homesteaded just below Cold Spring on Manzana Creek. They had a stepson by the name of Eddy Fields. At the site of the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
|
Tagged Backpacking, Eddy Fields, Hiking, History, Manzana Creek, Nature, Photos, Pratt Homestead, San Rafael Wilderness, Sisquoc Pioneers
|
1 Comment
Mono Narrows, The Old Oak Dies
The upper Santa Ynez River valley. Upper Santa Ynez River Looking up lower Mono Creek near the Santa Ynez River confluence. “During the month of November the trail in Little Caliente and Mono canyons was greatly improved.” Los Angeles Herald … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
|
Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Creeks, Hiking, iPhonography, Los Padres National Forest, Mono, Mono Narrows, Nature, Photos, Writing
|
6 Comments
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
|
Tagged Backpacking, Bears, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Wildlife
|
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
|
Tagged Caves and Rocks, Devil's Playground, Hiking, iPhonography, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Santa Ynez Mountains
|
3 Comments













