What to do in Sacto

[fe2_o3]

  We're not gonna take the train. I own a bus...I think I'll use it.  We came from the north, so we'll miss SLC this trip.
 If we do all the things you guys have given us, we'll be busy for weeks. Thank you all. Now we just need a way to get to the coast from Sacto with out too much work. Most roads from I-5 to the coast are a pain. Hwy's 20, 36, and 299 are not vacation roads.
 We went through San Francisco a few years ago with no trouble(although the coach in front of us hit the Golden Gate Bridge). He was fun to talk to for several days. He still flips me off when ever I mention that at a party.
  Thanks again for all the information...Now I have to pay some attention to the wife..It's her day today...Cable
 

[Sean]

... Now we just need a way to get to the coast from Sacto with out too much work. Most roads from I-5 to the coast are a pain. Hwy's 20, 36, and 299 are not vacation roads.

Speaking as a long-time bay area motorcyclist, there is no "good" way to get across the central valley.  That said, if you don't mind a couple grades and a few twists, 128 will take you all the way from Davis to the Mendocino coast, and is a beautiful drive most of the way.  FWIW.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[fe2_o3]

   Thanks Sean, 128 should workout well. I'll see if I can put it in the CoPilot. The only option I found was 80 to 12 then north to Geyserville. I like your option better...Cable

[BG6]

Uh . . .I disagree that the scenery is the same,

Note I said "about the same." Your observations about vantage point are correct, and, of course, it's unsafe to be watching the scenery while piloting a 15-ton bus.

Agreed.  It's a really good way to BECOME the scenery.

Gonna disagree again.  The four miles of 101 between the Park and the freeway are wide, nearly straight and built to highway standards.

Well, OK, but there are also plenty of other routes in SF that are perfectly safe and adequate for 45' buses, and 40's would be a piece of cake.  So the admonition to stay out of the city altogether is a bit overly cautious.

I spent 6 months working in and around San Francisco.  It took me a couple of weeks to figure out where I should and should not go with a FORD, and how to find my way around.  I wouldn't send anyone with a coach into that place unless they were familiar enough to not need any advice on how to get around there.  I've seen city buses get stuck on turns and stops.

There are no 90-degree turns ...

No, but there is a narrow chicane through the park, which, frankly, I find much more challenging than many SF streets, especially given how fast some folks try to take it.

The nice thing about a 15-ton coach is that you get to slow down the rest of the traffic to take stretches of road like that.

I would also suggest that that chicane is no worse than any other way through town from the Golden Gate.

My big hint is that rule about military convoys.

Caltrans has been working on the bypass for years, and has years to go.  The current road has several pulls, it is narrow and windy with no pulloffs except for the construction equipment, it is subject to frequent blockage due to accidents or slides, the road is deteriorating and being given only absolutely necessary repair.  More than once I saw an ambulance, lights going and carrying patients from one accident, stuck in traffic behind another accident which had taken out both lanes with no way around it.

The road is so bad that when I was staying in Pacifica and working in Half Moon Bay, I would run the inland route and generally get there before my coworkers who came through the Slide.

All true, but, again, for someone who is planning to run the road once, on vacation, to see the sights, it's an unnecessary detour.  We've done it in the bus -- it's not a problem.  If you have to drive it every day, it can be a pain in the butt.  Especially when it's closed for months at a time.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

We're going to disagree on this one.  I saw way too many crossover accidents through that area.

[BG6]

 If we do all the things you guys have given us, we'll be busy for weeks.

And . . ? 

[BG6]

Now we just need a way to get to the coast from Sacto with out too much work.

To the coast WHERE?  I-80 won't work for you?