Dad’s Divine Buffalo Curry

We are suffering an unusual December deluge so outdoor pursuits are on hold. Mainstream consumer entertainment like shopping at malls is anathema, of course. We rarely eat out either, having tired of the fractional quality to expense ratio. Therefore a fine homemade dinner was in order and herewith I present “Dad’s Divine Buffalo Curry” based on intuition and improvisation.

Ingredients for 2:

Ground buffalo burger, extra lean – 3 patties (thawed)

Coconut Milk – 1 can

Tomato paste – 1 small can

Greek-style Yogurt, vanilla – one cup

Apple – 1

Garlic – 3 cloves

Lemon – peeled rind

Tikka Masala Curry Sauce (Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods Home Chef Collection)

Paprika

Coconut oil, Virgin, unrefined – 3 tablespoons

Red wine – small glass

Habanero sauce (optional)

Procedure:

Mix coconut milk with tomato paste over low heat in saucepan. Add diced garlic, shaved lemon rind then curry paste and stir over heat for uniform mix; simmer gently.

Meanwhile, melt coconut oil in fry pan and add ground buffalo meat. Stir rapidly to saute with light dusting of paprika then simmer with dash of red wine. After wine has evaporated transfer seasoned meat contents to sauce mixture in pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes. For those who like more heat, several drops of habanero sauce may be added (caution, taste first).

Remove lemon rind and let cool for a while before adding diced apple chunks and finally swirl the yogurt on top of each serving.

Note: Sukhi's Home Chef Collection also offers Vindaloo, Madras and Kashmir curries

Campbell Trail Revisited

Well, this was a mistake. The first time we hiked this abandoned trail east of Gaviota Peak on March 14 I vowed never to return conditions were so bad. This time we sort of got trapped after my grandiose project to hike down to the waterfall then up to the northern escarpment along a natural rock highway lost its allure up close and personal.

My scheme was to use Campbell Trail as access to the creek in the valley then follow this downstream till we could cut through to the fabulous stone slab near the falls. I imagined the creek as a pleasant open path through the brush but in reality the bed may have been open but the brush overhung so much both sides it was no better than flailing through the usual congealed chamise / manzanita / ceanothus chaparral characteristic of the area. A most effective barrier to human progress.

So here we were with significant skin in the game after tunneling through the remnants of Campbell Trail with two options: (i) reverse back out or (ii) forge on to explore more around the eastern end. We decided to press on with faint hope of sighting the alleged Chumash sites then pressing on to the beacon beaming secret code from Beacon Hill. We pressed on.

Chel was a good sport enduring this hike from hell crawling through choke points and fighting past clinging, scratchy brush ever inch of the way. Well, there were a few nice open spots but not enough to erase the pain. This time I remembered the proper exit at the eastern trailhead and we reconnected with the ridge road by 10:00 am. Fog blanketed both the ocean and Valley sides and was steadily rising with a nice cool breeze.

Now we tromped on to Beacon Hill but could not locate any trail to the summit a mere 60' above where the USGS topo indicated an alien transponder site. At least we got a nice view of the Overlook rocks we explored in Spring. Oh well, time to head back on weary legs riding the ridge roller coaster.

The Grand Traverse of the SY Scenic Rock Rim

We finally achieved a long-standing project after some coincidences made it all come together at the right moment. I have been obsessed by the Rock Gardens on the Santa Ynez Mountains above Arroyo Hondo ever since George casually mentioned them to me a year or so ago for climbing potential. It’s a long hike in the Los Padres National Forest along Camino Cielo, scenic in its own right, and our first visit January 31 quickly dispelled any notions of climbing the rock is so soft.

However the area is a fascinating jumble of curious formations weathered every which way by strong winds and embedded in a daunting manzanita maze. There’s more scrub than rock on an area basis so you can’t simply wander about easily like in the better-known and explored Playground above Goleta.

Our first probe off trail went up to the crest of the eastern Rock Garden February 28 where there’s a fascinating rock formation I’ve published extensively about. Chel calls it the spark plug but I prefer to think of it in more mystical terms as some sacred Indian place, even though there are no signs of Native visitation about.

This probe revealed a swath cleared along the northern rock rim some time ago. Hundreds of huge manzanitas had been sawn down and heaped up over the edge or around clearings making a traverse along this most scenic rim feasible and pleasant. I surveyed the area more closely and noted several more fascinating rock formations that fired up my sense of adventure.

First we went along the western side searching for climbers bolts above a promontory we called Alisal Overlook. This adventure on August first is also reported along with the discovery of a Chouinard angle piton, but no bolts. Now I wanted to complete the traverse of the rock rim eastward to several landmark outcrops I surveyed by telescope from Alisal Road.

The next attempt by a more direct approach on August 8 was foiled by dense fog and injury as reported in this blog. This approach was not the best anyway as the nice open rock highway that seduced me north ran out halfway in a mess of scrub around large mesas of stone. One feature here is a perfect pillar noted on EdHat and it loomed tantalizingly close when the fog parted briefly.

So this introduction to the area prepared me for a final attempt heading in our original way then sticking to the cleared area along the rim. No more short cuts through no-man’s land! I was all fired up for the big attempt when Chel injured her leg on the Trespass Trail hike last Sunday. We needed to be in top form for the 15-mile hike and scramble and this injury was a serious setback.

Well, the first coincidence was the rear tire blowing out on my trusty old Nishiki road bike compelling me to visit Dr.J’s bike shop in Solvang, a place I normally avoid in tourist season, especially since it was the Danish Days weekend. Chel browsed about idly while I purchased a new 27” rear tire with tube and she noticed SportLegs supplement to ease the pain of lactic acid buildup and got a free sample. Well, the tablets seemed to work wonders as next day she was bouncing about ready for the worst I could throw at her.

Next coincidence was a weather change to a northeasterly that kept the awful marine layer at bay and provided ideal cool, clear and windy conditions. Tick season was over and it was cool enough for the rattlers to be sleeping. We started hiking at 7:00 am to allow plenty of time for exploring new terrain.

At first it was brilliantly clear then an ominous fog tentacle probed over the ridge from the Santa Ynez side. Soon we were in whiteout again and our spirits sank. One can never be sure about the fickle ridge weather given the opposing microclimates either side. The final coincidence was the appearance of a glory against the swirling fog as a good omen the sun was breaking through.

So we pressed on as I assured Chel it was all about the journey anyway and we reached the Rock Garden in perfect time and condition. The light for pictures couldn’t have been better. Now a word about the trail – there isn’t any as you first leave the ridge road. During our first visit I gave up looking for some obvious way and Chel quipped why not here, it’s as good as any. And so it turned out, as the key staging area is an open platform of rock in a Cirque of Pinnacles we were immediately below.

A little thrashing and bashing, but NO clipping mind you, placed us in the Cirque with an interesting walled cave one side and the Haunted Castle rock the other. Some eccentric or recluse may have built the cave wall and I have seen similar in the Santa Monica Mountains. Or maybe it was a rudimentary shelter for the CCC fire crews. In any case, we had no time now for the side trip over and stayed the course due north. If we go back perhaps I'll look more closely.

The ancient trail or clearing started the other side of the open platform where odd branches had been neatly sawn. This is not your regular foot trail easily followed along some manicured path so favored in the Santa Barbara front country for poodle walking but a real bushman’s track working with the landscape through complex terrain.

First I’d look for the most natural way forward, sometimes sideways, then check to confirm the presence of saw cuts. At times the cuts vanished when we followed deep-water grooves eroded in the bedrock but reappeared in the logical place the other side. Our route bobbed up, over or around nice rocks with interesting weathered shapes till we reached the rim just east of the mystical rock or spark plug, if you must.

This started the new section for us and I was relieved to see a way was cleared through a choked valley over to the next outcrop. A curious large circular clearing had been made long ago and I would judge the saw cuts to be all the same vintage. It must have been a massive undertaking at the time with no maintenance over the many decades since. The only explanation I could find was the 1955 Refugio Fire when the Civilian Conservation Corps cut many fire breaks here in the Santa Ynez Mountains.

The top of the next outcrop provided splendid views of the mystical rock and Santa Ynez Valley below. Chel alarmed me by balancing close to the edge of the escarpment being buffeted by strong wind gusts but I guess her magic supplement restored her super powers. On we tromped and the only sign of prior visitation was the rampant chainsaw carnage that thankfully provided this most agreeable highway. Well, not really a highway but compared to the alternative either side it seemed that way.

Our next summit was heavily stained as a favorite raptor roosting spot where we reviewed the final outcrop on a conical hill in the distance. It bore a striking resemblance to a chicken's head with beak projecting over the valley. The topo map puts this around 2,600 feet. A nice exposed ridge led over and it was an easy if alarming scramble to the top. Alarming because the winds had hollowed out the formation in a delicate honeycomb that could break if treated carelessly.

This was the final landmark summit from my telescope survey yet the swath of sawn brush still continued on below. We could see the ridge road and wondered if there was a simple connection but decided it was best to stick to our known way back as we had enough brush wrangling and pain during the ill-fated fog expedition.

Besides, it was really enjoyable to review this magnificent landscape once again and confirm the route should we ever chance this way again. For now my obsession with the Rock Garden is over, but I often find something new after examining the pictures in more detail. Chel was in superpower mode on the way back on left me in her dust for the first time. She cruelly forbade me to take any of her magic supplements! Oh, and did I mention pictures? Share the journey here.

P.S. By amazing coincidence I met David September 26 at Los Alamos Old Days who is a Valley local and expert on the Rock Garden after having spent many years hiking and exploring there. He knows the curved rock formation as Lizard's Mouth (yes, another one) and related some fascinating history. Topics we covered included the hermit, fences and grazing, lost cattle running wild in the rocks, the fire break cleared along the rim, cached then forgotten Indian artifacts, a Solstice site nearby, ranchers ATV access, the rock pond, madrones and Refugio manzanitas and much more. He knew fire fighting techniques and explained why the fire break was made along the rim and thought it was made later than the Refugio fire. I wish I had more time and could share my pictures. Perhaps I will have the good fortune run into him again.

Solvang Car Show

Normally we avoid becoming ensnared in the Solvang touriste throng and stoically endure the weekend traffic crawl through the village center on the way to our favorite grocery store. This Saturday we noticed some really cool cars on show along the side streets and given my love of classic vehicles decided a closer inspection might be warranted. Welcome to the 2010 Wheels 'n Windmills Car Show.

The snooty Bugatti crowd had passed through the previous week as a testament to big money indulgence and now we could browse an incredible assembly of iconic muscle cars from the 60’s – 70’s when cubic inches ruled the highways.

The vehicles on show exceeded all my expectations and there were perfect restorations to original, customs, and assorted exotica. It was good to be out in perfect weather enjoying these mechanical beauties and conversing with the owners. The sad part is some vehicles are so valuable they never see actual use on the street. A most amusing sign in one vehicle’s window summed it up perfectly: “This is what happens when you drive it.”

For me the event was all about form and color rather than mechanical minutiaie like cam lift, port diameter or nitrous injection pressure. The vehicles are art in their own right as sampled in our pictures here.

Rockgarden Slight Return

The Gaviota - Refugio Ridge Rock Gardens are so sprawling and complex it will take many days to explore just the eastern half, especially given the time to hike the 7 miles in. We made some interesting discoveries along the northern rim after finding the mystical Indian rock and an old Chouinard piton at Alisal Lookout on the western side. This time we were intent on reaching some landmark weathered pinnacles on the far eastern side after my telescope survey from Alisal Road revealed some bizarre patterns eroded in the rocks exposed to strong winds along the edge. 
There's also an aerial photo on the web by John Wiley of the pillar and rim formation behind we hoped to reach.

These Rock Gardens are not easy to traverse, unlike the better known one above Mission Pine Ridge or the Playground at Santa Barbara. So I pored over satellite images and photographs to work out a route avoiding the worst of the thick brush that impedes most exploration and soon decided on an approach north over an open rock apron after leaving the road. A plan was made.

We woke early Sunday morning to a thick fog in the Valley but were confident this would burn off in a few hours. However the ocean side of the Santa Ynez Mountains was not clear either and a persistent marine layer hugged the coast. The weather this Summer has been most unusual with lower temperatures and a June gloom persisting into July and August.

We figured on breaking out into clear sunshine above 2,000’ so pressed on with our plan even though the hike started in a total whiteout. The trees were dripping condensed moisture and soon our shoes and pants were soaked from the wet grass. Things did not improve with altitude and it became obvious this marine layer was here to stay as it was pushed up and over the ridge by a prevailing wind from the south.

No worries I thought as the forecast was for clear sunshine so surely it would all disperse in an hour or two. From time to time there were tantalizing patches of blue and rare glimpses over the SY Valley side showed it was clearing up nicely, unlike the ridge that was still blanketed in a thick marine layer. We reached the rock apron in just over two hours with no improvement in the weather. Bummer.

Chel was eager as ever so I decided a tentative probe north off trail would be OK as long as we could remember enough landmarks to return with visibility limited to 50 yards or so. We were encouraged by occasional clear patches above but thick fog would swirl in again to dampen our enthusiasm.

The first unusual finding was an ordinary house brick next to a 1993 survey bolt drilled into the rock slab. Little to survey out here I thought. Our rock apron was a pleasant highway that ended all too soon at a hollow boulder with several windows eroded through the side. Then we had to cut across some scrub to another line of rocks heading north. Next we came across two rusted fence stakes and a weathered wooden gate in the middle of nowhere with no-man’s-land beyond; curiouser and curiouser.

Here were few appealing options so we dove into the manzanitas and forged across to the next big rock island north. I climbed up and at last caught glimpses of our destination rocks close by. Unfortunately no clear path over presented itself and we were slowed to a crawl, still under dense fog that obscured any likely route forward. The final straw was impaling my hand on a manzanita stake after a foothold broke.

We dressed the wound as best we could then decided a retreat would be wise given the late hour, poor visibility and need for better wound management. I wrapped my hand in a large bandage that stemmed the dripping blood and we reluctantly turned back. It took a while to find our trail back where we crossed over several scrubby gullies thanks to the fog but finally we emerged on the friendly rock apron. Now we could cruise down to the road in comfort knowing our whereabouts and even stop to relax with a vegemite sandwich.

Of course as we trudged back along the road the marine layer started creeping back down and out over the ocean and we were mocked by brilliant sunshine and clear view of the Rockgarden several miles back. We had come to within a hundred yards of our destination, discovered more curious formations, learned secrets to navigate the labyrinth and got some foggy pictures. As Arnold said, ve'll be bek!