San Diego to San Fran....Coastal Route

my friend and i were planning to take a 5-6 day coastal road trip from here in san diego to san francisco and maybe a bit north of sf too. we've got a few ideas of things we want to do/see, but we're looking for more. i want to have lots of options and things to do; i dont want to just drive straight there and straight back, u know? so if anyone has any interesting things to see or do along the way, we'd really appreciate input! thank you :)
xoxox
mary

the coast north of San Francisco -- in truth, I like it better than the Big Sur coastline (not that you wouldn't like Big Sur also). I love the area around Manchester, Point Arena, Fort Ross, Fort Bragg.

It is a wild, wet, and often gray coastline that somehow seems less tame than the more southerly areas. Just my opinion, but it's a place I go back to time and time again.