UNCROWDED SKIES: Here’s a way to avoid...

UNCROWDED SKIES: Here’s a way to avoid those traffic-choked freeways into Los Angeles: Fly over them. . . . “We’ve been getting lots of calls” since the earthquake, said Tom Driscoll of Channel Islands Aviation, a charter service at Camarillo Airport. Some are commuters bound for Long Beach or Ontario. Others are air passengers worried about missing their flights. . . . “They just don’t want to fight the traffic,” Driscoll said. On Wednesday, two people chartered a plane to LAX to connect with a commercial flight. Cost: $110 per person.

OIL AND WATER: Ventura County oil production has declined from 40 million barrels in 1960 to 12 million in 1991. But the industry is still here, as evidenced by recent spills: 168,000 gallons spilled into the Santa Clara River east of Piru, and 84,000 gallons leaked into McGrath Lake near Oxnard. . . . Now the company responsible for the McGrath spill has made its initial report to state officials (B1). Still unexplained: What caused the leak . . . The report does provide an upbeat assessment of the spill, which killed more than 200 birds. “Effects were limited to transient visual impacts,” the report said.

LEAN TIMES: It’s easy to gain weight: Just eat more--which a lot of us did during the holidays. But going the other way is more complicated. You have to both eat less and exercise. . . . Which explains why January is boom time for Ventura County’s workout palaces (Ventura County Life, Page 24).

WINTER WALKS: Spring and summer are when most people hike the Los Padres National Forest, but winter offers its own attractions. . . . “There’s more water in the creeks, and you see lots of ducks and migratory birds,” said Ojai District biologist George Garcia. “You may not see as many animals, but you’re a lot more likely to see tracks” on the soft trails. . . . What you won’t see: crowds of people. . . . Be prepared for sudden changes in weather, including snowstorms, he said. “It can be nice in Ventura, but when you get on those ridge tops it can be twice as cold.”