San Francisco can be bone-chilling cold if the wind is blowing,
especially what you really want to see--- the San Francisco Maritime
National Historical Park.

If the wind is calm, it can also be hot enough to melt the tar off
the decks.

If you're going down the coast, be ready for anything from 60
and windy to 95 and dry.

For your last night before hitting LA, I recommend my old home
town of Ventura. Maybe stay at the Crowne Plaza; it's where "Little
Miss Sunshine" was filmed and is the tallest building in town and
right on the beach. The beaches in Ventura are endless--- eat at
Ericson's on the Pier for the best seafood. Just steps from the
hotel. Get on 101, but get right back off at 'Seaward' and hug
the coast up through Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Pt. Mugu, and through
Malibu and Santa Monica.

Maybe stop in Camarillo, of Los Posas Rd., to visit the Commemorative
Air Force facility there--- largest collection of flyable WW2
war-birds outside of Midland TX. The Hueneme Beach makes for
a nice beach-walk, too. Malibu's nice to drive through, but the
Santa Monica Pier can be fun, and then just a bit north of that
is the famous Venice Beach with all its characters. Now you're
in LA.

It's NOT as warm in Santa Barbara or Ventura as a previous poster
might have you believe. Another case of be ready for 60 and windy
foggy or 85 plus. Polar fleece is sort of the name of the game.

Good overnight stops on the coast for you might be Monterey/Pacific
Grove/Carmel, then maybe Morro Bay, and Ventura. Try not to get
caught in Santa Barbara during rush hour. From just north of
Santa Barbara to Ventura can be a bitch between 3PM and 6PM,
as well as 6AM to 9AM. Try and get through there in the middle
of the day.

You'll be amazed how it's gotten 'built up' in 40 years.