As an autobiographical approach to a life out of Santa Barbara, California, this narrative offers coverage of the California condor in Santa Barbara's backcountry. With extensive coverage of the California gray whale, from its breeding lagoons in Mexico to its feeding grounds in Alaska, it includes catching Soviet whalers "red" handed illegally killing that "protected" species. A fortuitous opportunity includes coverage of Apollo 17 astronauts training for our last expedition to the moon. With an "insider's" knowledge from a broad background in forest fire suppression and a decade in fire protection and public safety with Fire Departments, this book is a must as a handbook for wilderness protection and the surprising failure of the U. S. Forest Service in that regard. The loss of 40% of free flying condors over a period of a few months, including the breakup of all breeding pairs, left the Forest Service mystified as a result of turning unpoliced, well armed dimwits loose on the condor's habitat.