

-
Join 950 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
- Manzana Creek Schoolhouse (1893)
- Indian Creek Waterfalls and Narrows
- Ancient Artifact: Eccentric Chipped Stone Crescent
- The Sisquoc Falls: A Little Known Region in California Explored (1884)
- Parks Management Company's Red Rock Racket
- Tafoni Weathered Stone
- The Slot at Devil's Playground
- Selby Rocks, Carrizo Plain
- On Adventure
- Matías Reyes, Santa Barbara Mission (1887)
Photos from the blog
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
-
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 Ynez Mountains
Fritillaria Ojaiensis, Rare Wildflower
A single Fritillaria ojaiensis growing along Fremont Trail in the Santa Ynez Mountains. This photo is from early spring 2014. This variety of lily is endemic to California. It’s listed by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) as being rare … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
|
Tagged Flora, Fritillaria ojaiensis, Hiking, Hiking (2), iPhoneography, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Photos, Rare Plants, Santa Ynez Mountains, wildflowers
|
5 Comments
Lost Hikers and Search and Rescue
A winter scene in the Santa Ynez Mountains, Los Padres National Forest. “No, I can’t say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.” “I wouldn’t give a tinker’s damn for a man who isn’t sometimes … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara
|
Tagged Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Lost Hikers, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Search and Rescue
|
17 Comments
Hericium Hunt: Days Late and Feet Short
A hericium or “Lion’s Mane” mushroom growing on an oak tree, circled in red. With the first rain of the season some weeks ago the countdown had begun until the opening harvest of mushroom season. One week passed. It may … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
|
Tagged Foraging, Fungus, Hericium, Hiking, Lion's Mane, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wild Edibles, Wildcrafting
|
2 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
|
Tagged Arches, Barger Canyon, Hiking, Inspiration, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Musings, Nature, Photos, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains
|
4 Comments
Chumash Rock Art, a Pool of Water and a Chipmunk
A Chumash pictograph with inset showing a recreation of the design. A seasonal creek flows by this Indian rock art site in Santa Barbara County and there is a spring not far from the paintings. When flowing the creek cascades … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
|
Tagged Archaeology, Chipmunks, Chumash, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Pictographs, Rock Art, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildlife, Writing
|
5 Comments













