Point Reyes is on the way to the Russian River wine country, but it takes about an hour to get from the entrance to Pt. Reyes to the ocean, then whatever time you want to spend there. It's not worth doing if you want to go farther north. There's plenty of oceanside parkland south of Pt. Reyes at Mount Tam and north at Bodega to Jenner and beyond. A full day would be to drive over the Golden Gate, take Hwy One through Mt. Tamalpais State Park (mini version of Big Sur), drive up _past_ Pt. Reyes (maybe stop at the visitor center and do the short Earthquake Trail but don't go all the way to the ocean), continue north past Tomales Bay where you pick up the ocean again at Bodega Bay. Linger along the coast at Sonoma State Beach up to Jenner, then head inland along the Russian River. Stop in Guerneville and visit Armstrong Redwoods just north of town. continue east into the wine country around Healdsburg. Then take the freeway back to SF. That will fill an entire day--if there's time you could even head a bit north of Jenner to Fort Ross and Salt Point State park/beach.

I am so grateful for these suggestions!! I think I've been saved from making some serious mistakes. Sequoia and Easytraveler, thanks for your ideas. Easytraveler, thanks for the blow-by-blow!! I think I may have to toss Pt. Reyes for this trip.

I'm going "back to the drawing board" and will have something pasted together by this weekend - LOL!!

I congratulate you on your open mind. To be honest, I didn't respond to this thread (I think I did respond to an earlier one) because your emphasis of FINAL suggested you weren't open to any more ideas. It's nice to know you've agreed that this FINAL one could still be changed for the better.

LOL Neo! :-"

Sallie, do *NOT* skip Pt. Reyes!

All right, revised again! Let me know what you think.
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Day One
Arrive in L.A. 9 a.m. Immediately head up Highway One, through Santa Barbara (possible whale watching), end up at youth hostel in San Luis Obispo.

Day Two
Skipping Hearst Castle tour. Up early, spending entire day on coast from Cambria up through Big Sur. Hitting Julia Pfieffer Park, Carmel, Monterray, etc. Either staying at Padre Oaks in Monterray or going on to the lighthouse hostel in Pescadero.

Day Three
San Francisco - staying at the Fisherman's Wharf hostel w/ free parking...trying the 49 mile drive and then maybe taking a 1/2 day tour of the city

Day Four
Guernerville and Jenner to check out wine country...backtracking to sleep in San Francisco at the Fisherman's Wharf hostel.

Day Five
Up early and catching the first Alcatraz tour. Looks like that's 9:30 a.m. Hope to be on the road by noon, I-5 south to L.A., hope to be in L.A. by 8 p.m. Staying w/ relatives.

Day Six
Spend in L.A. Plan to see Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Chinatown, and head down to Long Beach to see the Queen Mary (if there's time).
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What do you think??

Cut Chinatown (unless you've never seen a tacky import souvenier shop before and you're just dieing to see some) and cut Long Beach/Queen Mary and it's OK.

With all the rain in California, portions of highway 1 between Cambria and Big Sur have been closed due to mud slides. Hopefully this won't be long term, but it would be a good idea to check road conditions before you leave. There is still a lot of rain in the forecast, so it could still be a problem the first week of May.

Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out beforehand.

Skip the Queen Mary on your 6th day. You won't have time, Long Beach is ugly. Driving in L.A. is not a breeze. There are lots of cars and lots of waits. You could sit on the freeway headed to Long Beach for a long time, when you could be site-seeing. Glad you're taking I-5 back down. 101 takes forever. On day, two, take an early tour of the castle, stop at Julia Pfeiffer State Park for a looksie and then head to Carmel. There's much more to see in Carmel/Monterey/Pebble beach, than Big Sur. Are you spending the night somewhere at Pescadero?

I think I'm skipping the castle tour to spend more time in Big Sur. I will either sleep in Monterray that night, or go on to Pescadera. There's a lighthouse hostel there that sounds very fun!

It does look like a cute hostel. I've visited the Lighthouse there before. :-)

My first instinct was to tell you to not skip the castle tour, but, your intenerary for day two looks like a great adventure.
Enjoy the day then please write back to tell us about it.

Day Three...if you have never been in San Francisco before IMHO it is a shame that you will be taking so much time to drive the 49 mi drive.
Since you have already taken the time to enjoy the coast on day two, I would spend more time 'in SF.'
There is Golden Gate Park, China Town, Haight Asbury, Pacific Heights, North Shore.
Lets see what others have to say.

Day Five...Take the audio tour, you will enjoy it.

Sallie,
If you decide to stay in San Francisco instead of taking the 49 mi drive, they offer free walking tours of all different neighborhoods. Check out this website:
http://www.sfhistory.org/index.php?pageid=21
All walking tours are free unless otherwise noted. But, a tip is a nice jesture.

ttt

I live in California. Your itinerary is aggressive to say the least. Good luck!

On the 101 route to LA. Try to time the arrival in LA. If you hit around 5pm on a business day the traffic will eat you alive! It will be jam packed. That alone can kill a nice drive down 101. ALWAYS remember the LA traffic!

Other than that I think you are trying to do too much and will be spending too much time in a car. But that is your call so have a great time!