Expert: Ernest Tufft - 4/5/2008

Question
Hi Ernest - thought I'd start with you and get your input.  My husband and I have decided to do a road trip throughout CA from June 10-July 1 this year.  The plan is to fly into Reno, rent a car, drive to Tahoe, up into Mt. Shasta area, over to Redwoods and Eureka area - down to San Franciso - do the coast down to San Diego and Palm Springs, then head towards Yosemite and back to Reno.  Do we have enough time to do everything?  We're not big shoppers, but love quaint cities, beautiful scenery, and will do "must see" touristy things like Alcatraz, trolly cars, Hearst, etc if you think they're worthwhile.  It's hard to plan where we'll be staying, but it would help if you could give us some ideas on which areas we'll probably want to spend a couple of days.  We have no real desire to see LA unless there's something to do while passing thru.  Is Catalina a must?  We'd like to try balooning, maybe do a zip line near Moaning Caverns - some "different" things too.  I also assume that the temp at that time with run anywhere from cold in the north to HOT in the south so clothes should be layered.  We're really excited to have this much time to see your beautiful state and we're hoping that your input will make it that much more memorable for us.  THANKS!  Gail & John Perry

Answer
Gail,

Your background research for this trip is very good, and I can only make a few comments.  The basic route is excellent.  Don't miss Mendocino/Fort Bragg on the North Pacific coast.  Also, you can easily visit the Napa wine country via the "backdoor" through Geyserville to Calistoga, which is a very pretty drive.  Ballooning in Napa Valley is a lot of fun, and reservations can be made with a simple Google keyword search.  Rather than Alcatraz, consider taking the ferry from SF to Tiburon/Sausalito, for the more quaint and less blatantly touristy activity on the bay.  I'd skip Catalina on this go around, but take in the Hearst and Getty Museums (go on-line for details and ticketing).  LA is a mess, so plan to drive through at night enroute to San Diego to avoid the traffic jam.  Zip line at Moaning Caverns probably would be less interesting than an extra day in Yosemite.  Don't rush Yosemite as you could easily spend several days there.  Consider driving over the Tioga Pass (make sure it's open, but if at end of June, it should be) to Mono Lake and then hwy 395 south to Las Vegas?  Then, take hwy 58 to hwy 46 over to Paso Robles and the coast?  Question marks here, because routing that includes both Monterey Bay-Hwy 1 and Yosemite is desireable.  Look at Pacheco Pass route also for this (Hwy 50, I believe).  The layered approach to clothing is a good idea.  A fleece type sweater for the north and coast areas in June will be needed, but elsewhere you will probably experience sunny warmth.  Any more questions?