Hi,
 
Hmmm ... Hwy 1 stops at Oxnard, and doesn't restart until further up way past Santa Barbara just past Gaviota.
 
Well, actually, 101 and 1 are together at that point.
 
In SF, if I remember it right, join 101 so you can go across the Golden Gate Bridge and you can stay on 1 all the way up to Rockport/Hardy, when you have to go inside to 101 again. And that can take you all the way to Port Angeles in the Seattle area.
 
Unfortunately, you are not taking this further. You should if ever there is a chance!
 
http://www.pedrosena.com/photos2.htm  for a picture I took on 95 on the way to Las Vegas on the outskirts of Goldfield. I have "family" in Las Vegas.
 
Prime spots (for me):
- Redwoods. Must camp out there for a couple of nights. Weekdays is best as it is not overfilled.
- Crescent City/Brookings. Beautiful view from the mountains overlooking the ocean.
- The Sea Lion Caves in Oregon. Very cool, but you can't throw fishies at the buggers!
 
That drive, including a couple of campgrounds, should take a good 2 weeks, just to make it to Astoria in a relaxed, enjoyable manner, so it doesn't feel like nature got past you, a trip up Columbia River all the way to The Dalles is a must. Check pictures out of the Columbia River Gorge.
 
Have lots of fun. The drive is way better in Oregon, than California for my tastes, but you can always stop by Santa Barbara and check out my old digs (East Beach) where the professional volleyball thing started 40 years ago. Or you can visit the wonderful tar-d beaches all the way up for several miles. UCSB is on the beach and Goleta beach is next to it.
 
 Of all the drives, the one I like the most is Hwy 375 between Reno and Klamath Falls for some of the prettiest areas ever. You can continue up to Pendleton, OR (cowboy country with Round Up the first week of September), and then take 84 along the Columbia River all the way to Portland and switch to 26 or St Helens to take the route along the Columbia River and then you can go down 101 from Astoria. For me that would be a nicer drive all around, and you get to see the Cascades intimately and the ocean in both California and Oregon.
 
Beautiful country around here ... and above all GREEN!

Well, with the flight landing in Vegas...Oregon may be a bit to far for this trip, but it's on my list for sure. The California coast is the main objective this time. The drive from San Simian to at least Point Reyes is an area I want to cover. My wife wants to start at Dana Point because it's 2 hours closer to Las Vegas. I my view this time savings will be lost while driving north to San Simian and may be something we regret by Wednesday.

bapu
Hmmmmmm Ventura, CA. 23 miles west of me I live .25 miles off the 101.
 
 
Clint to his wife: "Missed him by THIS much".

I'll take you and your significant other to dinner at your favorite digs when I get to Santa Barbara next. I'm not sure mom is going to last much longer at 95 and this means a trip to SB ... and hopefully the house won't be raided by Cal auditors that want to force a sale so the family gets nothing and they can collect real taxes off the house! As for the library? who knows! I can't imagine the Portuguese Gov't dishing out several million to move it! or any university buying it other than Stanford or UCLA, but both of those have pretty much dismantled anything "Portuguese" over the years!
 

Don't skimp. Spend a half to three quarters of a day at Hearst castle. Then drive north on 1 from there to enjoy Big Sur. Monterey and the 17 mile drive in Monterey are very nice places.

If you enough time, take a Sideways detour to Solvang before getting too far north.

There is much magic is between south of Monterey down to around Hearst castle.  I would skip the north-of-SF part just to spend more time around Big Sur.  It's not that there's not some awesome coastline north of SF - there is a ton of it, especially as you get further north.  But the time to get to the northern coast will take away from the Big Sur experience.  Take your time.  It's so lovely you should plan to stop frequently and soak it up slowly.
 
Alternately, skip Big Sur entirely and focus on the northern coast option, driving by boring interstate until you get to Santa Rosa.  From there, cut over to the coast and take a right when you get to Jenner (the coast town you get to from Santa Rosa).  Keep driving for as much time as you can spend.  As far as I know, it's almost unceasingly breathtaking from Jenner all the way up to Alaska.  When you get to redwood country, maybe around Eureka, go inland a bit (you don't have to go very far) to experience the majesty of the redwood forests.

lawajava

If you enough time, take a Sideways detour to Solvang before getting too far north.

Forgot that ... take the Cachuma Pass from Santa Barbara and then turn to Solvang ... and then you can re-join 101 real quick.
 
Ohhh ... you better not eat too much. Those ..... goodies .... are very goodie!

There's also the Winchester House in San Jose.
 
There's a really good restaurant (my brain is working on the name) on Green Lantern street in Dana Point.

Thanks for the ideas guys! We are looking into all options.

+1 for Hearst Castle, or at least Morro Bay. It's a quiet little beach town we tend to go to whenever we're visiting the in-laws.

Have an ice cream in Cayucos which is on Highway 1 just north of Morro Bay. Then go through Cambria on your way to Hearst Castle. Just north of Hearst Castle, check out the hundreds of sea lions (and pups). Keep driving north to Ragged Point for a cup of coffee.