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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 Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Eating Poison Oak
- Old Mission Santa Barbara
- Save Old Mission Sycamore ... __ __ __ ...
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Tarantula Mating Season, Santa Barbara County
- California Slender Salamander
- Indian Creek Waterfalls (Dick Smith Wilderness)
- Manzana Creek Schoolhouse (1893)
- Burro Schmidt Tunnel and Shanty (1906-1930s)
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Latest Dispatches
- 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
- 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
Lunar Phase

Tag Archives: Santa Barbara
Ridgetop Tank, Santa Ynez Mountains
The ephemeral pool forms on the bedrockhigh on a sandstone ridgehundreds of feet above the creek, otherwise filling the canyon with the sound of its rushing water,but for the displaced croak of frogshole up in a lone pond in the … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Rocks, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
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2 Comments
California Name Origins: Joseph Wood Krutch, The Forgotten Peninsula (1961)
Detail of Nicholas de Fer’s map from 1705 showing Santa Barbara Channel. An excerpt from The Forgotten Peninsula: A Naturalist in Baja California (1961) by Joseph Wood Krutch detailing the suspected origins of the name California: Most of the place … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
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Tagged Adventure, Baja, California, California Island, History, Joseph Wood Krutch, Santa Barbara
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2 Comments
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
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Sespe Wilderness, Wilderness, wildflowers, Wildlife
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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
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Tagged Adventure, Cold Moon, Coyotes, Full Moon, Hiking, Hiking (2), Nature, Open Spaces, San Marcos Foothills Preserve, Santa Barbara, Wildlife
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Repatriation of Native American Remains and Artifacts
Asperitas clouds over Santa Barbara seen from our home on November 15, 2023. October 2023 Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws Tuesday intended to compel California’s public university systems to make progress in their review and return of Native American … Continue reading →













