After fantastic input from this board, my fiance and I are scrapping our plans to head from Sonoma to LAX in four-and-a-half days.

We looked again at our priorities: romantic time in wine country, redwoods, dramatic "cliff coastal drive." We will be arriving in northern California on a Monday in early October, and need to catch a flight out of SFO very early Saturday morning (heading to Mexico.)

Thanks to your help, I've narrowed down two options for our Cali leg and would love to hear what you think. One entails a decent amount of driving, but gets us up to Mendocino. The other keeps us at the same hotel all week (which I think I'd prefer) but includes one fairly long day/road trip.

Option 1:
Monday: arrive Sacramento late morning, drive to Healdsburg (*Sacramento because we get in from the East Coast a few hours earlier than SFO, and save a couple hundred)

Tuesday: Healdsburg

Wednesday: leave Healdsbury early-ish; visit Armstrong Woods on way to coast; drive up coast to Mendocino. Stay in Mendocino Wednesday night.

Thursday: hang in Mendocino in morning, drive down 128 to Yountville/Napa. Stay in one of those towns for the night.

Friday: hang in Yountville/Napa; drive down to SFO at some point late Friday to stay in inexpensive airport hotel. Catch flight out Saturday AM.

I'm not *super* in love with this itinerary because it means a lot of driving, but it gets in our top priorities.

Option 2:

We use Healdsburg as a base. So:

Monday: Sacramento to Healdsburg
Tuesday: Healdsburg
Wednesday: day trip "loop" through Guerneville, Armstrong Woods, up to Point Arena, over to 128 and back down to Healdsburg. (Google maps times this out to about four hours. I was thinking we'd do a morning hike in the woods, picnic lunch somewhere along the coast between Jenner and Point Arena, and then finish out the loop in the afternoon.) **Is this WAY too much driving for one day? This trip would be all we'd plan for this day. Wednesday night, we'd stay in Healdsburg.

Thursday: at some point, drive over to Yountville/Napa and stay there for the night. Enjoy dinner at Ad Hoc/Bouchon.

Friday: at some point (perhaps late /9-10pm, or earlier in the day so we miss rush hour) we drive to SF to check into our airport hotel. (If we leave Napa earlier in the day, we'll probably get dinner somewhere in the city and then head back to the hotel.)

I think I would much prefer the second itinerary, only because it would feel less "rushed." I also don't know if Mendocino would be worth all that driving, for what we're looking for.

Would love some input. Can't thank you enough for the help - we're ALMOST more excited for the honeymoon than for the actual wedding Almost...

We live in San Francisco. I would not do the leg to Mendocino. The drive from Healdsburg area over is simply not fun. It may say a time on Goggle Maps but if you get behind slow cars or busses the time gets extended. I did one drive over there with friends a few years ago and it seemed to take forever. Then we had to go back the same day! Plus, I have never found what the attraction is for Mendocino...especially for your short stay.

I would stay in one place and explore Napa area. Healdsburg is a great base, but there are more towns to explore. To me this would eliminate a lot of unnecessary time in a car...and October will be busy as it is some of the best weather of the year in this area.

"The drive from Healdsburg area over is simply not fun."

Well, if you love driving that drive is VERY fun. But I do agree w/ traveldawg about option 2. If you had one or two more days - then I'd do Option 1 hands down. But w/ your time limitations, IMO it would be too much in too little time. Option 2 is probably best.

Topping for razzie's input too...

Hey jj...

Love all the drives around the valleys but not if you are strapped for time.

Good call on SMF vs. SFO.

Mendocino is lovely but plan #1 involves way too much driving. I'd go with the second route - except - since you're starting from Sacramento, first go to Napa/Yountville, then Healdsburg, then spend a night on the coast and then go to the SF airport.

So I'd recommend Monday night Napa/Yountville, Tuesday & Wednesday night Healdsburg, Thursday night on the coast.

Also, try to get into Sacramento early enough so you beat rush hour both in town and on highway 80.

I didn't read thru your entire original post about Big Sur.

But, why not just stay in San Fran and do your day trips from there. Go see Muir Woods(great place, but the trees further north are better). Point Reyes would give you dramatic coast drive. Go to Napa one day, and perhaps a night as well. This would give you everything, with a taste for the Redwoods. Personally, I think you really need to go as far as Redwood National Park, if trees are that big of a priority.

Have you checked car rental fees? The money you are saving to fly into SAC might not be much after your car drop fee at San Fran. One Way rentals can be pricey(not always). And usually flights into San Fran, Oakland, San Jose aren't much differently priced than SAC. It just sounds like plan 1 and 2 and your original post coming from LAX is all rushed and not really spending much time seeing or doing much.

Drop off fees from SMF to SFO are usually low or even non-existent. It the other way (SFO to SMF) that normally has the higher drop fees.

"But, why not just stay in San Fran and do your day trips from there."

On the other thread butibeentooklahoma says they've been to SF before and really want a more country/coastal/scenic experience instad of the city. that's why this plan makes sense.

oh -meant to add: Shanti has a good idea about doing your one night in Napa first. From SMF you'll pass the south end of the Napa Valley on your way to Healdsburg. So the more efficient use of time and to reduce extra driving, do SMF > somewhere in the Napa Valley for 1 night > Healdsburg for 2 nights > SFO the last night.

Great input.

Shanti: we'll be into Sacramento by 11:30A. I'm thinking midday shouldn't be too crazy getting out of the city.

Spiro: I definitely hear you on the one-way car rental thing - have run into headaches on previous trips! We seem to be lucking out this time. Plus, though flying into San Jose would save us about $20 each, it would get us on the west coast later and then we'd have to battle the traffic up through SF.

Janisj: sounds like an excellent idea to do the Napa night first. That would give us Monday night in Napa, Tuesday through Thursday nights in Healdsburg, and a night at SFO.

Feeling much better about this itinerary, so thanks to all! The day trip along the coast may be long, but we'll take it slowly and leisurely (not like we have any other place to go.)

Hopefully I won't eat my words during the trip report - guess we'll have to wait and see...