SUGGESTIONS PLEASE -Morro Bay to Santa Cruz Coast

Unfortunately we have but 1 day to drive some of the coast. I would appreciate any "must see", driving & tour time suggestions.

We are driving from Yosemite on a Saturday, June 19th. I can't decide whether we should go (via rt 41) all the way down to San Luis Obispo and work our way up, or drive straight over to Castroville (via rt 152) and just go south on Rt1 for the Big Sur area.

Our final destination is Santa Cruz and we would hope to be there by 6-7 PM for dinner and boardwalk fun.
We will be exiting Yosemite via Rt 41 and are willing to get up VERY early to enjoy as much of the coast as possible. We don't need to see Monterey because that is the 1st port on our cruise.
If it helps, my husband and I are traveling with our 11 year old daughter and we hope to at least do a short hike & explore some tide pools at a beach with picnic lunch. Would love to see a mission if time allows.
Thanks!
Tina

I would recommend driving the "17 Mile Drive". You pick it up in Carmel. Driving the 17 Mile Drive takes about 2 hrs because you keep stopping to check out the views. You will recognize many of the sites that you see on calanders. You will stop at the famous Pebble Beach Golf Course (we usually picnic there). You will see cypress trees, seals, beautiful coastline, etc. It is one of the prettiest drives in CA.

If it's tide pools you're after, and you have some time (at least an hour but two would be better), check out Point Lobos, just south of Carmel on Hwy 1. This is part of the California Parks System. The day rates have just gone up, but well worth it. This is a favorite day trip destination for my family and out-of-state visitors.

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;10;10;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Until we sail on the Grand Princess

Thanks Ldy - the ship offers the 17 mile drive as a shore excursion too.
Any other recommended spots to see seals, otters or sea lions?

bbqbears - thanks - are there picnic tables here?
what is the day use fee? IS it a per vehicle charge to enter park? Should we expect this in each state park along the coast? Do the parks tend to fill up/close by a certain time of day on a Saturday?

I keep telling my daughter the water will be cold in CA, in June, but she apparently must experience it to believe it. Hence, I am thinking tide pools would be the closest we'll get to exploring the Pacific Ocean. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Is the CA Sea Otter Refuge worth checking out, just south of there?
After further research, I don't think we'll get further south than Big Sur, since it's about 4 hours to coast from Yosemite.
Tina

Point Lobos is at the northern end of Big Sur. The day rate has gone up to...? I think $25, and yes, it's per car. Yes, there are picnic tables in the park. By the way, to make your choice even more difficult...the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a short distance north of Point Lobos (in Monterey-obviously). They have an otter exhibit (these are otters they've rescued), and in addition, there are often otters, seals, etc. floating around right off shore by the aquarium. You can even rent a kayak there and paddle around among the sea critters. No tide pools here though. Obviously, you can't do it all..you'll just have to come back!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;10;10;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Until we sail on the Grand Princess