-
Join 950 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
- Old Cold Spring Tunnel (1897)
- Matías Reyes, Santa Barbara Mission (1887)
- Teardrop, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Chanterelle Mushrooms
- Old Mission Santa Barbara
- Through From Santa Barbara to San Francisco in 48 Hours (1873)
- 'Akaka Falls, Hawaii & Cliff Climbing Goby
- Tafoni Weathered Stone
- Indian Creek Waterfalls (Dick Smith Wilderness)
- Fossilized Sand Dollar
Photos from the blog
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
-
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: Nature
The Extraordinary Rains of August 2023
The organic curves of chaparral-cloaked Condor National Forest. I’m growing like a seedRain’s been falling on me — KT Tunstall, Feel It All “I’m wondering if we won’t see August thunderstorms.” I wrote that in June, a freak premonition. The … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Sespe Wilderness, Wilderness, wildflowers, Wildlife
|
3 Comments
Howling Coyote, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
A howling coyote and one at the den barking. They didn’t seem to sense the presence of a human right off, but were suddenly startled to see or smell me and that’s when the one began barking. The howler happened … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Adventure, Cold Moon, Coyotes, Full Moon, Hiking, Hiking (2), Nature, Open Spaces, San Marcos Foothills Preserve, Santa Barbara, Wildlife
|
Leave a comment
A Sea of Debris and Plastic Microtrash
A plastic bin to hold plastic bags washed ashore along the Gaviota Coast. “Our research found 6-to-1 plastic to plankton by weight in 1999. We went back last year [2008] and found 46-to-1 plastic to plankton – the weight had … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Baron Ranch, City of Santa Barbara, County of Santa Barbara, Gaviota Coast, Litter, Microplastic, Microtrash, Nature, Ocean, Plastic, Santa Barbara
|
1 Comment
The Twelve-Inch Experience, Baron Ranch Corridor
Humboldt lily seed pod. “Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath the rhododendrons, to find … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Arroyo Quemado, Baron Ranch, Gaviota Coast, Hiking, Microplastic, Nature, Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
|
1 Comment
Figueroa Mountain Bug Bloom
Along the road to bugville in autumn. Springtime wildflower blooms on Figueroa Mountain capture all the attention. But I’ve long marveled, too, at the winter ladybug blooms of the mountain. December 2023 I hold onto a childhood memory of ladybugs … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Figueroa Mountain, Hiking, Ladybugs, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, Wildlife
|
7 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 