Hi all. I've just found this forum in the middle of lots of trip planning and I'm glad I did, I've read loads of useful stuff already so I thought I'd throw it out there and ask for some tips.

My girlfriend and I are travelling from the UK and hit LA on April 16th. Our flight back to the UK is on May 7th, so we've got a full 3 weeks. We wanted to drive the coast to Portland, spend 3 or 4 days there and then head back a different route. I've got plenty of ideas about where I'd like to stop off but I just wondered what the opinions were of other people here on this forum as I'm sure there are about 1,000,000 things I have absolutely no idea about and it would be fun to get some other slants on it.

Also, tips on accommodation would be welcome. We're hiring a car and perhaps picking up a tent, but were planning on getting all our hotels / motels on the hoof, so to speak. Am I right in thinking that this will be fairly easy?

We haven't finally decided on who we're renting with yet so any tips on good, reliable car hire firms would be much appreciated.

I look forward to hearing any feedback anyone has! Thanks!