We will be travlling to California in late May.
Some questions:
1. Can anyone recommend a good day drive north of SF?
2. How long should we take driving from SF to Big Sur. We have 2 days alloted as of now.
3. Is there anything worth seeing between Big Sur and Yosemite?
4. We have 3 nights planned for Lake tahoe and 2 nights planned in Sonoma. Should those be reversed?
5. Overall, we are looking for a relaxing vacation with lots of scenic drives, walks, hikes, and good food.

Thanks, as all of your responses will be greatly appreciated.

I would recommend that you join the Automobile Club or AAA- they will books full of information on California and they will plan a route for you and map it out on a tripmap that flips, page by page- its all free with membership- and get discounts at hotels/motels and attractions. If you see the AAA sign on a motel you know its clean and well recommended. They can give you information on Yosemite and the 17 mile drive in Carmel (don't miss Carmel)
You will get a discount when you rent a car and if you break down they will come to your aid- very very nice when you are taking a vacation! If you need help they offices everywhere nationwide!

Don, in order:
1. SR 1 north as far as comfortable - Mendocino if you can. Consider returning via Occidental for a family-style Italian meal.
2. 2 days is leisurely. You'll have plenty of time to poke around the Monterey peninsula if you want (Monterey, Carmel, Pt Lobos, etc.)
3. IMO, no.
4. North or south Tahoe? South end is very casino-y, heavily developed. North end much less so. If it was us, I'd reverse the night count.
5. Ought to be fun.

My husband and I stayed at a lovely cozy Lodge in Inverness called Manka's that was an hour north I believe of San Francisco,it had a wonderful Restaurant that was very romantic like the rooms there and the food was terrific!I'm not sure if it is still there buecause of the fires in that area a few years back. The phone # is 415-6691034.We stayed there before going on to Sonoma and then Yosemite.There are nice trails in the area and of course Yosemite was great!

Manka's Inverness Lodge is still there. It is my favorite! It was not affected by the fires.

Don, here are my thoughts:

For your day trip north of SF, I wouldn't go all the way to Mendocino, which is around four hours--too much driving. I'd stick closer and go to Point Reyes National Seashore where you can both walk on the beach and look at the ocean and do a bit of hiking. The Bear Valley (I think that's the name) trail is nice, not strenuous (it's packed), and takes you to a rocky promentory overlooking the ocean. You can get Pt. Reyes info on www.nps.gov. You could have lunch or dinner in the cute town of Pt. Reyes Station.

Two days is an ideal amount of time to get to and explore Big Sur in a leisurely fashion that will allow to really explore the natural beauty of the area. (The northern end of the Big Sur area is around 3 1/2 hours--depending on traffic--from SF, but you'll want to make stops). A stop in Monterey to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium on the way down would be good (it's a great place, devoted to the local marine biota), though buying tickets in advance (over the web if you want) is a good idea for avoiding lines. Follow with a stop for a stroll and a good meal in Carmel. Two very useful sites for Big Sur: www.bigsurcalifornia.org, the Chamber of Commerce site, has info and links about all the lodging, restaurants, and attractions in the area. jrabold.net/bigsur/index.htm is a great guide with maps and geographically-ordered descriptions of all the parks and scenic areas, with links and lots of info, plus history and a bunch of other stuff.

Not a lot of interest between Big Sur and Yosemite; I'd just try to get to Yosemite.

I'd reverse and spend 2 nights in Tahoe and three in the Sonoma region; one of those, I'd spend out-of-town in the Russian River area, near Cazadero or the like. Beautiful, bucolic, peaceful area with some nice wineries.

You have a beautiful vacation planned. Maybe I'll see you in Big Sur in early June!

a really good guide book called something like California in 22 days.Even though I grew up in CA, i found it very fun and useful.