-
Join 933 other subscribers
-
“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
-
“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”
Search Jack’s Blog
Recently Read
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Old Mission Santa Barbara
- Eating Poison Oak
- 1960s Era Pull-Tab Coca-Cola Can
- Save Old Mission Sycamore ... __ __ __ ...
- Mugwort: A Natural Poison Oak Preventive
- Halibut Surf Fishing
- Tarantula Mating Season, Santa Barbara County
- Burro Schmidt Tunnel and Shanty (1906-1930s)
- Indian Creek Waterfalls (Dick Smith Wilderness)
Photos from the blog
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
-
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
The Mysterious Three Stone Stack
Who? Why? When? The rocks did not fall from the wall or ceiling of the cave that I could tell. There is no trace of a break or fracture in the cave or some such occurrence that may have sent … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Adventure, Artifacts, backcountry, Caves, Chumash, Hiking, Hiking (2), Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Santa Barbara, Wilderness
|
1 Comment
A Sea of Debris and Plastic Microtrash
A plastic bin to hold plastic bags washed ashore along the Gaviota Coast. “Our research found 6-to-1 plastic to plankton by weight in 1999. We went back last year [2008] and found 46-to-1 plastic to plankton – the weight had … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Baron Ranch, City of Santa Barbara, County of Santa Barbara, Gaviota Coast, Litter, Microplastic, Microtrash, Nature, Ocean, Plastic, Santa Barbara
|
1 Comment
The Twelve-Inch Experience, Baron Ranch Corridor
Humboldt lily seed pod. “Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath the rhododendrons, to find … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Arroyo Quemado, Baron Ranch, Gaviota Coast, Hiking, Microplastic, Nature, Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Wildlife
|
1 Comment
Figueroa Mountain Bug Bloom
Along the road to bugville in autumn. Springtime wildflower blooms on Figueroa Mountain capture all the attention. But I’ve long marveled, too, at the winter ladybug blooms of the mountain. December 2023 I hold onto a childhood memory of ladybugs … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Adventure, backcountry, Figueroa Mountain, Hiking, Ladybugs, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Santa Barbara, Wilderness, Wildlife
|
7 Comments
Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
In my years at University of California earning a degree in American history with a minor in Native American studies I never heard tell of the Indian Head Test Pattern. I first learned of it reading Tommy Orange’s novel, There … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Americana, Chumash, History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Pop Culture, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, TV, Wilderness
|
1 Comment
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 