My wife and I are trying to work out the best way to see a little of your country by driving from San Francisco to Vegas over 2 days late december this year. We are on our way to friends for christmas, and ended up arriving a few days early, and decided that although we would love to do a long road trip accross the states, a quick one was better than nothinig.

We have investigated enough to realise that trying to go through Yosemite at that time of year is best left for people who can spend more time and who are better prepared than 2 australians just landed. We have found that a few guide books recomend to drive the big sur coast, therefore we thought we could drive down highway 1 to Santa Barbara and then onto to Vegas.

My question is, if there is an easy way to do yosemite, would love to know, and if there is any other ways to go that might offer a quick view into a few uniquely american experiances from culture to sights, probably more on culture, ( from diners, truckstops, cute small towns, etc). would love to stop overnight in a small town if that could be advised.

look forward to hearing from all who can help.