Weekends this time of year require special planning. As the temperatures rise, the National and local parks will be littered with people, making escapism difficult and privacy impossible. Luckily for us in Southern California, there are enough spots within a couple hours, both by bike and by car, where you can partake in a little R&R, without being overly crowded.

Last Thursday night Cari and I spent the night in the Oak Flat Lookout. Available by reservation only and usually fairly booked out, we leapt at the opportunity to stay in this unique locale. Just outside Bakersfield, Oak Flat is only two hours from my home in Silverlake and while the road to the lookout requires a high clearance vehicle and at times, 4WD, it’s generally very accessible.

After deciding to not battle the campsites nestled around Ojai, we swung by the Cactus Mart before heading back to town to undertake some prickly repotting. It had been a very photogenic 24 hours and the weekend hadn’t even begun!

Cari was really hankering for another bike ride. Well, one without pushwacking anyway, so I corralled her and Liz to go ride in the Verdugo mountains. The Verdugos are almost always empty of people which has always surprised me seeing as how they’re much bigger and more diverse than the ever-so-popular Griffith park. Granted, the 20% dirt grades might keep some people at bay…

That night, Jocelyn was in town, and we had a full moon with clear skies so once the sun set on Saturday night we took off to the dirt once again for some midnight marauding. Five bottles of booze, one bag of chips, a package of RedVines later, and we were ready to call it a night but not before a few dusty and dirty spills!

I’m not sure what prompted this post, other than how I woke up this morning feeling sated and ready to take on the week, for next weekend’s plans have yet to be made. Here are a few more shots to hold you over…