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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
- Old Cold Spring Tunnel (1897)
- Matías Reyes, Santa Barbara Mission (1887)
- Teardrop, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Old Mission Santa Barbara
- Chanterelle Mushrooms
- Through From Santa Barbara to San Francisco in 48 Hours (1873)
- 'Akaka Falls, Hawaii & Cliff Climbing Goby
- Fitzgerald's Fit: Man Leads Work Crew To Wreck Montecito Hot Springs
- Tafoni Weathered Stone
- Fossilized Sand Dollar
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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 Elusive and Fleeting Fire Poppy
I found the fire poppies once more, trailless along a tributary fork of a coastal creek high in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Five years had past since my last sighting. I think the fire poppy, Papaver californicum, may be among … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, poppies, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, wildflowers
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2 Comments
Return To Scene Of Lion Standoff
I returned to the place of the lion faceoff, to measure the distance between us on that day; the most memorable day of my life in the Santa Ynez Mountains of Condor National Forest. Using the yard measurement instrument of … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Deer, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
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13 Comments
Los Padres Forest Association Backs Forest Closure
Los Padres Forest Association issued an obsequious letter to the Forest Service declaring their full embrace of the two month closure of Los Padres National Forest. They called the shutout “wise.” That’s a word of exceptional assuredness. Not just smart, … Continue reading →
Mountain Lion Standoff, Santa Ynez Mountains
What I saw when I first turned to continue my walkabout. A beautiful disaster. “Lions often stalk their prey and attack by leaping on their shoulders and back, biting the top of the neck or head. Their jaws are strong … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Forest, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Mountain Lion, Nature, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
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10 Comments
Forest Service Welcomes Hikers To Falling Trees, Flash Floods and Debris Flows
How much worse do conditions get? (Those are actually fantastic conditions! The worse the better.) And yet in the face of such natural horrors, the likes of which only Danny Hillman might venture risking limb and life to vanquish, they … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Forest Closure, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildfires
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17 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 