"...except that there are NO passes over the Sierra south of Yosemite, until you get to Tehachapi Pass (which is pretty dry). ~ The Mod

Not to be argumentative (me?) but Walker Pass goes through the Sierra Nevadas about an hour's drive north of Tehachapi Pass. I don't recommend Walker since there is little traffic, no services and enough switchbacks to get one seasick.

Also, Tehachapi Pass does not cross the Sierra Nevadas, it goes through a low area area just south, essentially forming a line between the them and the Tehachapi Mountains.

At least once a year somebody starts a thread about visiting the West. Some folks think they can fly into LAX and drive to Frisco, visit Yosemite, take in a show in Reno, visit Las Vegas, and perhaps check-out the Grand Canyon all in a week, and have time to participate in three folk festivals. It can't be done. The US is 3000 miles across and California is about 900 miles long, plus those destinations are in three of our largest states.

There is a wealth of information and a bunch of good suggestions to found in those threads.