Tag Archives: San Rafael Wilderness

The Case For Renaming Los Padres National Forest

“I love the feeling when it falls apart.” –Red Hot Chili Peppers, Desecration Smile “By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me by the act of June 4, 1897, 30 Stat. 1, 11, 36 (U.S.C., title 16, … Continue reading

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Wind Poppy (Papaver heterophyllum)

Rancho Nuevo Canyon, Dick Smith Wilderness (Early May, 2012) “It is possible to be indifferent to flowers—possible but not very likely. Psychiatrists regard a patient’s indifference to flowers as a symptom of depression. It seems that by the time the … Continue reading

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Chaparral

Slopes of chaparral in the Santa Ynez Mountains. On down the slopes and all the way to the canyons was a thicket of varied shrubs that changed in character as altitude fell but was everywhere dense enough to stop an … Continue reading

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Horny Toad

“It was a rough land that bred a tough man.” —Louis L’Amour, Utah Blaine (1984) The observer may glean some insight into the nature of the land by looking at its native inhabitants. When you’re wearing a helmet of horns and shrouded … Continue reading

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The Ol’ Swimmin’ Hole

“Most of these places, however, were not marked as special on my map. But they became special by personal acquaintance. … I remembered what Ishmael had said in Moby-Dick about the island of Kokovoko: ‘It is not down in any … Continue reading

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