Freaky Peak, as it's known to members of The Astronomy Connection, is a nice location at a reasonably high elevation east of Salinas, California.
Above: there's a nice little observatory run by the Fremont Peak Observatory Association near the summit. The observatory is the building with the slanted roof on the right side of this image.
Many intrepid observers set up their gear in the southwest parking lot, pictured above. The darker spots are recent patches on the concrete. While this may not be an ideal spot, especially on very hot days, it's very easy to get to, and on a cool day the heat from the pavement dissipates quickly enough. You might have trouble with heat if your scope's mirror is very close to the pavement (e.g., if you have a Dobsonian).
Fremont Peak's actual summit, shown above, is about 350 feet higher in elevation than the southwest parking lot. I took the picture of the parking lot from this hill. The television and radio antennas that blink annoyingly all night long are visible at the top left corner of this picture. Peter Natscher's envy-inducing 10" Makutsov is shown at bottom left, with a lovely plaid drape to shield it from the harsh afternoon sunlight. Nice scope, Peter!
Here's a closeup view of the antennas that have, at various times, made stargazers at the Peak unhappy. The intensity of the anticollision light on top of the main TV antenna is much reduced from the unshielded atomic furnace it was the first time I visited the Peak two years ago.
A group of Freaky Peak visitors prepare for a nice long night of observation.
Finally, the sun's going down! Hooray! Notice the nice fog layer over Monterey Bay. When it's present, the marine layer flows in and blocks much of the light from Monterey and Salinas, reducing the light pollution from these inconvenient cities.