I am going to be driving very soon from oregon to San Francisco. I have no set schedule or route to drive. I am from vermont and have never been to california. What are must see places to see in california north of San Fran.? Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

I never tire of the following:

• The drive from Brookings to Eureka.
• In Eureka, the amazing Carson Mansion and the shops and restaurants in the historic district south of the mansion.
• The little Victorian town of Ferndale.
• The spectacular redwood forests.
• The town of Mendocino, and walking on the Mendocino headlands.
• The drive on Highway 1 from Mendocino to Bodega Bay.

Point Reyes National Seashore is reported to be a beautiful area, but I’ve always passed it by for the excitement of San Francisco. The Napa Valley is beautiful. It and the Sonoma Valley are winery destination, as the Russian River area.

The above post is excellent. I very much agree.

Yosemite. Mus...see...Yosemite.

Yosemite. Must...see...Yosemite.

Thank you for all your help. i am really interested in History and i am an ameture photographer. so anything that i can take lots of pictures is grea help. i will also be traveling later between san fran and l.a.

any important landmarks?

The Carson mansion is the most prominent of many Victorian buildings in Eureka. Ferndale and Mendocino are historic towns (Mendocino was used as a set for "East of Eden"). Fort Ross, north of Jenner, reconstructs the lives of Russians who lived in the area in the early 1800s. There is history all over the place.