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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
- The Day Hell Hit Santa Barbara; Third Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded on Earth
- The Privateer; Subcontractor, Dept. of Unauthorized Forestry
- On Adventure
- Rock Art Ramblin', Searching For Chumash Pictographs
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- Matías Reyes, Santa Barbara Mission (1887)
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Lower Lion Canyon, Sierra Madre Mountains
- A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
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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: Santa Barbara
Coldwater Camp, San Rafael Wilderness
Coldwater Camp lies in a meadow under a large oak tree along Lower Manzana Creek Trail, and is rimmed by hills. A detailed profile of the camp can be seen at Hike Los Padres – Coldwater Camp. The camp was presumably … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Manzana Creek, Nature, San Rafael Wilderness, Santa Barbara, Travel
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2 Comments
Ice Cans To Rockets, A New Stove For A New Century
The rocket stove was developed by Dr. Larry Winiarski in the early 1980s. (A detailed explanation and design principles of the rocket stove: PDF) Nearly one hundred years ago an enterprising butcher in southern California fabricated a stove from a … Continue reading →
Posted in Articles
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Outdoors, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
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6 Comments
The Allure of Grass
A small, but remarkable potrero in the Los Padres National Forest that is a short distance away from Mollisol Meadow. “But it is upon the grass, mediator of soil and sun, that the human gaze has always tended to settle, … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Backpacking, Grass, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Potrero, Santa Barbara
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9 Comments
Mollisol Meadow
“Maybe 7% of the landscape across the world is mollisol.” -Dr. John Reganold, Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology, Washington State University “Mollisols (from Latin mollis, ‘soft’) are the soils of grassland ecosystems. They are characterized by a thick, dark … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged backcountry, Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pics, Santa Barbara, Travel, Wilderness
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9 Comments
Grouch of the Woods
The tentacular limbs of coast live oak trees in the Los Padres National Forest. “The presence of a jostling crowd. . .a familiar irritation to be borne with resignation.” —Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire It’s not that he hated people. He … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Nonfiction, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Writing
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8 Comments













