Holiday Prompts Many to Make Great Escape : Travel: Rare four-day weekend in honor of July 4 inspires droves to take their celebrations on the road.

YES!!! A four-day weekend. There’s much delight to be had in a day off in the name of patriotism, but two?

Makes you want to sing about the purple mountain majesties, pack up the ol’ RV and head for the shady trees and cool breezes of the Sierra.

Along with many others, San Fernando Valley residents headed out in droves to celebrate this four-day Fourth of July weekend, a phenomenon that happens only twice in a seven-year period.

The Ellison family of Sherman Oaks stopped at a Burger King in Castaic on Friday evening to fortify themselves for the long drive to a swim and barbecue reunion with relatives in Fresno. And they traveled all-American style: the two Ellison children, a neighbor friend and golden retriever Dusty--all in a brown and tan station wagon.

“It’s a family outing,” said patriarch Mark, “so [the dog] goes.”

Anticipating throngs of holiday seekers hitting the freeways by early Friday afternoon--which they did--the California Highway Patrol was on “maximum enforcement,” officials said, with every one of the department’s patrol cars and motorcycles in operation, and will remain so throughout the holiday.

“Obviously, leave plenty early,” said Rob Lund, an officer with the CHP. “There’s always a possibility of a tie-up.”

By early evening, however, CHP officials had reported no major traffic tie-ups and said traffic was moving slowly but relatively smoothly on most arteries out of the city.

Burbank Airport officials, who had already been welcoming fliers fearful of the Unabomber’s threats against travelers at Los Angeles International Airport, also suggested getting an early start.

“We are asking people to come two hours ahead of time,” said airport spokeswoman Angela Cranon.

Because Burbank was already anticipating droves of travelers opting for the airport instead of LAX, there was still ample parking and few delays, Cranon said Friday afternoon. “Everything is still running smoothly.”

While Burbank seemed to be under control, the 2,000-plus capacity parking lot at the Van Nuys Flyaway, which offers low-cost parking and round-trip busing to LAX, was already filled Friday. “And we expect it to remain full through next Wednesday,” said Stacy Geere, spokeswoman for Van Nuys Airport.

“We always recommend [at holidays] that you have somebody drop you and your luggage off, or even take a cab here,” said Richard Davison, who oversees the flyaway station.

The Unabomber’s threats also resulted in increased business at Van Nuys Airport, with more of those who could afford it chartering their own planes, said Mike Dulany of United Beechcraft’s support center at the airport.

“During the last week the charters have really picked up, and there’s speculation that that [the Unabomber’s threats] may be the cause,” Dulany said.

On the other hand, “any time you get a four-day weekend and nice weather, all the aviation buffs come out,” he said.

If flying seemed too risky, or too expensive, many families and couples opted this season to rent motor homes for excursions to the mountains and lakes of California and neighboring states.

“They are going to the lake, going to Northern California, to Las Vegas, Yosemite, Arizona, the Grand Canyon, Lake Havasu, . . . “ said Hermy Bondoc, general manager of Family RV of Van Nuys, while he watched his fleet of live-aboard vehicles rapidly dwindle as renters drove them out of his lot.

“This is an American thing,” Bondoc observed, citing enthusiasm for fully decked-out vehicles that come with spacious beds, galleys, flush toilets, coffee makers and air conditioning.

To keep cool, hundreds of people from Bakersfield to Orange County will tow their speedboats and jet skis to Pyramid Lake north of Castaic.

“If it’s hot in the valleys,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Hardy, “we’ll be maxed out. . . . If you are planning to come up, get here as early as possible. At least by 7.”

Hardy warned that although there will be no formal checks for boaters under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the extra patrol deputies will keep an eye out for offenders, who will be arrested and treated the same as drunk drivers, he said.

Swimmers and boaters should “just look out for each other, too,” Hardy said, in light of a series of fatal accidents at the lake last month. “The PWCs [personal watercraft] are quick and fast and they are on the lake.”

For those looking for a quieter, more relaxed outing on the water, fishing season is in full swing. “This is the busiest time of year, between Memorial Day and Labor Day,” said Steve Ellis, one of the owners of Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys.

“The Fourth of July is traditionally the middle of the season, and it just started rock-and-rolling,” Ellis said, adding that Rocky Point, near San Pedro, was chockablock with yellowtail and calico bass.

Ellis said the water in the Sierra is especially high this year, and streams there should yield a healthy catch of trout.

But that high water has been accompanied by lots of snow on the mountains, which has meant a quiet season so far for backpacking.

“The snow level is so high that people won’t hike until later in the summer,” said Matt Audier, a manager at Adventure 16, a hiking supply store in Tarzana.

Times correspondent Douglas Alger contributed to this story.