Another route to consider (longer and less scenic, but full of things to do) would be taking I-80 east towards Sacramento. You could stop in Napa for wine tastings, or stop at Marine World (Six Flags/Sea World) theme park in Vallejo, stopping in Fairfield and taking a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory. You could continue on to Sacramento that has a nice old town to check out. If you want to take a detour, you could take Hwy 12 and go to the delta on your way to Stockton. This is a pretty scenic drive. Once you get to I-5, you can head south to Manteca, where you can take Hwy 120, which takes you into Yosemite from the North. There are three highways that go into Yosemite. 120 from the north, 140 from the west and 41 from the south. There is lots of things to do in Yosemite and I suggest getting some books if you choose this route. Yosemite is absolutely stunning. I feel everyone in this world should visit this park. Upon leaving Yosemite, I suggest taking 41. Before you exit, stop at the Mariposa Grove of trees. Heading south down 41 will take you into a nice town of Oakhurst and close to Bass Lake (a few films done here...most famous was the "Great Outdoors"). Continue to take 41 south through Fresno and all the way to the coast near San Luis Obispo. You can cut to San Simeon on Hwy 46 and get to Hearst Castle. There you can follow the other route. Hope this helps