When?
It's still a little early - and seriously wet.
But April is ideal for wildflowers and gorgeous hillsides.
Especially if you stick to empty roads in the Coast Range.

South out of Sacramento, riding thru the Delta is sweet.
Getting thru East Bay is a bit tricky, but there are back roads and bike trails.
South of Hollister there are roads paralleling Hwy 25 for a while, then Hwy 25 has little traffic.

The really great part is south of Bitterwater thru the Cholame Hills
If it is late March/early April and dry - Carrizo Plain National Monument is gorgeous.
But the road is not paved all the way - and wet caliche is like wet cement.

https://ibrakeforwildflowers.com/car...n-wildflowers/

After Carrizo take Hwy 33 over the mountains to Ojai.
Which is just a short ways from Thousand Oaks.

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Camping at Pinnacles Nat'l Park and Carrizo N.M. -
Other places trickier because of early season.