Tag Archives: Writing

The Lost Treasure of San Roque Canyon (1895)

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Jack Elliott

“There were three Santa Barbara boys who started aviation careers with their kite-flying. They were the Loughead brothers, Victor, Malcolm, and Allan, whose mother, Flora Haines Loughead, was a writer for the Independent, one of Santa Barbara’s three newspapers at … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Adventure, History, Los Padres National Forest, Newspapers, Reading, San Roque Canyon, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Travel, Treasure, Writing | 2 Comments

Gaviota Coast Gallivants: Then Came the Fox

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Jack Elliott

June 2016 I take the kids to the zoo. It’s not a place I can appreciate any longer, but granny bought us a family membership. So we go. The kids scamper through the prison camp, er, zoological garden with great delight. … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Foxes, Gaviota Coast, Hiking, Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Mammals, Nature, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildfire, Wildlife, Writing | 13 Comments

A Great Interval of Silence, Chumash Wilderness

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Jack Elliott

Boilin’ the billy. “Great intervals of silence are evidently conducive to our well-being. A meditative stillness, suggests Gary Snyder, was invented by waiting hunters. Perhaps this reflected the poised and ruminating hush of mothers of sleeping infants. High levels of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ventura County | Tagged Adventure, Backpacking, Camping, Chumash Wilderness, Hiking, Hiking (2), Landscapes, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Travel, Writing | 13 Comments

Mastodon & Mammoth Sign: Reading Trees in the Santa Ynez Mountains

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Jack Elliott

Santa Ynez Mountains “Elephants’ habit of snapping or uprooting trees could explain why species such as oak, ash, beech, lime, sycamore, field maple, sweet chestnut, hazel, alder and willow can regrow from the point at which the stem is broken. … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Los Padres National Forest, Mammoths, Nature, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wilderness, Writing | 4 Comments

Vernal and Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Jack Elliott

Mortars in Yosemite Valley. The Urban Wilderness Yosemite National Park represents a contradiction to me. A place entirely about nature, but it’s crawling with hordes of chattering tourists and hiking trails are paved. There is something oddly and strikingly askew … Continue reading →