Hi, Dom & Sarah-
Check the San Francisco Folk Music Club, http://www.sffmc.org/ for Northern California folk music events. Their October calendar is here (click). the most legendary music event in California is the song circle at Faith Petric's at 885 Clayton Street in San Francisco it happens October 8 and 22. There's an a cappella session in one room, an accompanied session in another, and an instrumental jam in a third room. This session has been going on twice a month since the 1960s. The host, Faith Petric, is 95 this year.

We have a very nice singaround and house concert scheduled for the afternoon of October 24 at Auburn, which is about 45 minutes northeast of Sacramento on Interstate 80 - I'll be there, and it would be nice to meet you.

I'd suggest taking Highway 101 from Los Angeles to San Francisco, perhaps heading over to Highway 1 at San Luis Obispo for the second half of the trip so you go through the spectacular Big Sur area (driving from south to north is easier on Highway 1, since you're not as close to the cliff's edge.)

Slag and open Mike have given you good advice about places to see. I don't know that October is a very good time to see Yosemite Valley, since all the waterfalls are likely to be dry - still, there is a quiet beauty to Yosemite Valley in October that is quite wonderful. However, if it hasn't been closed by snow by then, you might want to drive across the Sierra by way of Tioga Pass, in the northern part of Yosemite National Park. On the other side are Mono Lake and the fascinating ghost town, Bodie. Every pass over the Sierra is interesting, so it doesn't really matter - except that there are NO passes over the Sierra south of Yosemite, until you get to Tehachapi Pass (which is pretty dry).

Desert driving in October isn't too daunting, although there's a chance of snow in late October. Shouldn't be too much of a problem if you check with Slag or me or open mike at the time. Spring is the best time for the desert - I drove 1,200 miles of desert highway in March of this year, and loved every moment of it. I might even like a trip to Death Valley in October - sunsets in Death Valley are spectacular. One thing about desert driving: if a sign says, "Next Services, 120 miles," believe it and stop for gas and drinking water AND food. NEVER let your tank get below quarter full, and a half-full limit is a good idea. But there's something wonderful about driving through the desert, and stopping now and then to take a walk off the highway (stay in sight of your car, unless you're on a marked trail).

One other word of advice - stay off the freeways. There's too much that's you'll miss if you drive only on the freeways (exceptions: Highway 101 along the coast, and Interstate 80 across the Sierra are spectacular; and yes, the freeways help you get around Los Angeles if you can't find suitable surface streets).

I hope you come to love California as much as I do.

-Joe-