I biked the highest point in San Luis Obispo County, Caliente Mountain.
The peak is in one of California's hidden gems: the Carrizo Plain National Monument. It's in the Taft/Maricopa area west of Bakersfield, CA. It's basically a large, flat-bottomed bowl that, in spring, reminded me of the prairie states. Right down to omnipresent crickets.
I carefully biked the peak because as usual this was a solo trip and, other than the land manager and a couple of campers miles away, there was no one else around. I wasn't about to do any jumps and, despite the slope being moderate throughout, I hiked several spots going up to be on the safe side. It's a rollercoaster trail and I was worried about gaining a lot of elevation on the return but that wasn't that bad.
Once up top there are the remains of a shack that was used to spot enemy planes during WWII. About halfway up there's the remnants of a trailer and a corral, together with a dilapidated picnic table. Other than those and a communications tower part way up it's a fairly pristine area.
The trailhead is easy to find due to signage and the trail is easy to follow. It's mostly hard-packed, with a few brief silty sections. It gets a little rocky near the peak. I spotted a few clumps of mud from someone who'd hiked it after a rain; I assume that increased the difficulty a good bit. I also spotted lots of large scat which I assume is from mountain lions or large canines.
Why, you might ask, do I say that about the mud? Because the mud there is like cement. I walked out into Soda Lake and my shoes got stuck in the cement-like mud. In fact, I couldn't extricate them without taking them off, and even then it was difficult to get them out. If it was wetter it probably would have been like the Great Grimpen Mire. The visitor center has pictures of vehicles getting stuck in the mud, so don't be like them. If it's rained there recently, don't visit until it's dried out a bit.
