We will be flying in to LA, taking a drive up the coast to SF and Modesto April 23 for 12 days. We may also go to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe/Reno area. Can I get some advice on must see places, nice, reasonable hotels and anything else you may want to add.

Coastal places will have better rates on the weeknights, LA and SAN FRAN might be slightly better on weekends. Eagle Inn in Santa Barbara should be reasonable, carmelmissionInn often has good weekday rates.

Many hotels in the more popular tourist stops along the coast have a 2-night minimum stay on weekends. As far as "reasonable," we'd need to know your budget.

Less than $75 per night. We don't need all the frills, unless you can get them for $75 (HA! HA!) Thanks!

There are tons of things to see in the areas you will be travelling.

The Morro Bay/Cambria area is really great. Hearst Castle is there, which is definitely worth a tour. A couple years ago we stayed at the Days Inn at Morro Bay, which I think was around $75/night. It was fine - no frills but it was clean and reasonably comfortable.

Then there is the Big Sur coast, which has some spectacular coastline and several state parks where you can do some hiking, have a picnic, and that sort of thing. Most lodging in Big Sur is beyond your budget, I think.

You should be able to find some budget motels in Monterey though. You wont be right on the water, but Monterey isn't a very big place, so you can easily drive to where you want to go.

Santa Cruz is a lot of fun - the boardwalk is there, downtown, Capitola Village is a cool little place with shops and restaurants and a nice beach. You can find bunches of budget motels there.

Continuing up the coast are a couple interesting little towns. Half Moon Bay is great - definitely worth a couple hours stop.

In the Santa Cruz mountains there are tons of redwoods and some great places to hike or just stroll.

On your way up to the Lake Tahoe area, you will cross Hwy 49, which runs through the Gold Country. You can go to Coloma and see where gold was discovered. There are quite a few interesting towns along Hwy 49 that are definitely worth exploring.

Yosemite is really great - you might have trouble finding lodging, so I would start calling right away to see what is availible. Things fill up months and months in advance, but at this late date you might get lucky and find a cancellation.

Lodging at Lake Tahoe shouldn't be a problem. April is the "shoulder season" between ski season and the summer, so it isn't crowded. There are bunches of budget places in South Lake Tahoe.