California Condor Eben Dcmillan 18 October 1963 Ian, Chester Lyons and I left for Ventura County via the Carissa plains and Corama Valley at 9:30 AM. in my pickup. We saw Eight Sandhill Cranes in a plowed field one-half mile south of the Dewey Werling ranch house, on the west side of Soda Lake, on the Carissa Plains. Not much rain had fallen from the last storm to the south of Soda Lake. Arriving in the Ventura River drainage, on Highway 399 at 12:45 AM, we left the highway and took a forest service road that leads south from the Howard Creek drainage along the crest of the ridge between the Ventura and Sespe river drainage to the end of public entry at a spot near the north end of Topa Topa Bluffs. Here Chester Lyons left us and drove on to Ventura in my pickup. Ian and I hiked on to the north of Hines Peak where we walked out on a ridge overlooking the Topa Topa complex and the upper Sespe drainage. We saw no large birds in this area. At sunset we arrived in Last Chance Camp by the headwaters of Santa Paula Creek having threaded our way along a trail that was well overgrown in places, that passed to the west of Hines Peak and then south to Last Chance Camp. Showers fell throughout the afternoon but nothing heavy. It was windy and calm at sunset. The trail that we followed from Hines Peak to Last Chance Camp had been little used, if any, this year. The new road that has been only recently constructed by DL Forest Service from the north end of Topa Topa Bluffs to the north side of Hines Peak shows signs of public use. Cigarette remains can be found along this route, as can be beer cans and other cast away objects, and on two occasions we picked up pistol cartridges that had been fired from this road, and numerous other empty shell cases including shotgun shell cases.