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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
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Fossil Falls, A Glacial Relic of the Pleistocene
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- About
- Carrizo Plain Wildflowers: Temblor Range, San Luis Obispo County
- Eating Poison Oak
- The Castor Bean Plant: Common, Valuable and Deadly
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Latest Dispatches
- The Exceptional Sundowner Winds of Santa Barbara
- Lobster Poachers?
- Dick Smith on Forest Access
- Old Mission Sycamore Whacked Again
- Bald Eagle, Manzana Creek, San Rafael Wilderness
- When Rains Fall, Will USFS Close Our Forest? The Coming El Niño
- 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
Lunar Phase
Tag Archives: Santa Barbara
Wilder Than I Thought
I stood daydreaming with my back to the river when a loud slap broke from behind me, the sound of something smacking the surface of the water. It was pushing toward 100 degrees and I had just climbed out of … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Beaver, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez River, Wilderness, Wildlife, Writing
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13 Comments
A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector
A mural in Lompoc, Santa Barbara County depicting a seaside Chumash village scene. Little of what Bill said made reasonable sense. He stood on the other side of his termite infested, dry-rotted, wobbly fence, which was missing slats and had … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Adventure, Archaeology, Art, Blog, Chumash, Native Americans, People, Pictographs, Rock Art, Santa Barbara, Travel, Writing
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12 Comments
Gabe Surfing Sandbar, Hurricane Marie 8-27-14
Gabe Venturelli making it look easy. Good to see a friend, a Santa Barbara local, getting it like not many people do. In the middle of summer, no less. Pacific love. “Look at this shot of Sandbar yesterday,” my wife … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Hurricane Marie, Hurricanes, Inspiration, Nature, Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Sandbar, Santa Barbara, Sports, Surf, Surfing, Video
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7 Comments
Barger Canyon Arch
Looking through Barger Arch toward Santa Barbara. A coast live oak tree obscured for most of my life this frontside feature of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Arroyo Burro Trail, which cuts the mountainside nearby, was one of the first trails … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Arches, Barger Canyon, Hiking, Inspiration, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Musings, Nature, Photos, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains
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4 Comments
Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: A California Blood Sport (1800s)
This post is the first entry in a series of four: Second: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Recollections of Jacinto Damien Reyes (1880) Third: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Lassoing Grizzlies (1904) Fourth: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Sport … Continue reading →
Posted in California
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Tagged Bear Baiting, Bears, Blood Sport, Bulls, Grizzly, History, Non-fiction, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura
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3 Comments
