My BF and I hitched from NYC to CA....Best time was from San Francisco to San Diego and then on to Tucson...The Big Sur/Monterey stretch is full of beautiful beaches and forests for hiking..We stopped at San Simeon for a day or so....The closer to LA the busier it is...Santa Barbara not to be missed....A random man picked us up and made all sorts of "gay this city...gay that city"...then wanted to pay us to get sucked....and then asked if we wanted his grandma to make us breakfast....Great time...long long ago..