If you come to the Los Angeles area I would take two side trips.

The first is up CA 2 - angelescrest highway

The second is an awesome trip to Lake Arrowheadand Lake Big Bear. This is an awesome one to two day trip.

 

I also wanted to add on PCH south of Santa Monica SUCKS! All street lights, and it gets confusing at points.

 

I've ridden up the coast from San Diego to Richmond Canada several times up the PCH. My first time was back in 1968 and boy has it changed. Back then all you did was ride through what seemed like small towns whenever you hit population and unless it was the weekend, was not much traffic. Heck, even LAX was originally built away from most residential areas and the rest was a two lane road all the way to San Fran. There you had to deal with a lot of traffic and usually supper fog on the Golden Gate Bridge. I remember one time the fog was so thick I had to ride with my left foot extended to find the cones they divide the two directions with to make sure I was on the right side of the road (couldn't even see the road straight below me). After San Fran. it was just all great road with cheap places to stay, eat, visit. Now or the last time I went up to Richmond the traffic was horrendous through LA and SF and if you hit Santa Barbara at the wrong time it was also ridiculous stop and crawl traffic. And at the end there was no sigh as to why it was that way. Also, the prices for everything are horrendous as well. All that being said, I would still do it again and again without hesitation. Traveled most of the country and find it (the 1 and 101 combo) the best ride I have ever had.

 

Took a ride two weekend ago down to MO and dropped down into AR to ride the "Pigs Trail" Hwy 23 through the Ozark National Forest. Talked to a rider at the mid-point who had also rode the Tail and he said they are both similar just the Pigs Trail was longer. Either way very nice enjoyable ride through the forest with some twistys and switchbacks thrown in.

 

There are several.

<<< The avatar is me looking out over the top of the Cherohala Skyway, during Nationals this year.