Seattle to San Diego - endless time

[roniamarie]

Hello everyone,

My nephew (16yr) and I will be traveling from Seattle to San Diego the last week of May into June. We do not have a set time frame and can take as long as we like. We're planning to camp as much as possible to save $$ on lodging. We are also traveling with my dog.

Here are the definite plans we have: Baseball game in Seattle, San Fran, Oakland, LA, Anaheim, and San Diego. Redwood Natl Forest, Big Sur, a few days in San Fran, Heart Castle, Santa Cruz, Huntington Beach, a few days in LA.

Curious what our options would be for the Oregon coast. I've eliminated Crater Lake as I want to take my nephew ATV'ing in the sand dunes instead.
Is there anything to see/hit between Oregon and Redwood?
Redwood and San Fran?
Where are good places to stop between San Fran and LA? I'd like to hit as many beaches as possible, maybe learn to surf somewhere, but we also have the dog. I have to try and find some dog sitters along the way as she won't be able to stay in the car while we are sightseeing at some places. Any suggestions for this? I was thinking craigslist....

In LA, we wanted to try and see a live TV show, Rodeo Drive/Beverly Hills, map of the stars and drive ourselves.

Any suggestions for all or any part of this trip would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

There have been a number of discussions of the Pacific coast, so have a read through those for some ideas for starters. I'm currently planning a short trip on the Oregon coast, and most of what I'm finding that intrigues me are just state parks that emphasize nature and some Lewis and Clark history at the mouth of the Columbia. Everything else you have planned or want to get to sounds doable, but the dog will occasionally present problems. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding a walker/sitter in the large cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, but elsewhere, I would think you might have a problem. You might be able to leave him for a few hours in your motel room, but you'll need to check with the motel itself. Different ones have different rules about what they'll do about a barking animal or about housekeeping if he's present. Here are some general tips on traveling with kids and pets.

AZBuck