Here is Fred's “local cross-country” triangle.  On this route we typically fly  100 miles or more without ever going beyond glide range of CRYSTAL.  

The fuzzy green lines indicate approximate positions of common shearlines that separate distinctly different air masses.  El Mirage and CRYSTAL lie within a large area of buoyant Mojave air, while Hesperia and Palmdale are embedded in lobes of relatively more humid marine air (shaded in this image) flooding into the desert through the passes on either side of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The pink triangle indicates our basic course.  We take the usual tow to Pinyon Ridge and climb out toward Mt. Baldy.  After topping out we turn north and follow the shear to El Mirage and then Silver Lakes, or perhaps all the way to Los Vegas, finding great lift all along the way.  (Here we could also turn southeast and fly a very different triangle.)  

Our second leg will be forty miles if we run west from Silver Lakes all the way to the corner of Restricted Area 2515.  Out there the lift may not be as good, but there are many fine places to land if necessary (hasn't happened yet…).  Then, from Lancaster to CRYSTAL is only 25 miles or so, an easy glide from any ordinary thermal.

One interesting aspect of this particular course is that most of it lies over flat desert, where finding and using lift is not the same as in the mountains...

Also, notice that from the eastern corner a direct return to CRYSTAL would take you over several small hills before and after El Mirage.  In fact, a straight line glide from Silver Lakes to CRYSTAL is often made, over 30 miles at good altitude and speed, with no loss of altitude!