California / Las Vegas road trip

[Fallon]

evening all,

I've just started planning a road trip for this time next year and would love some advice from those who've done a similar trip.

We want to take two and a half or three weeks to explore California and hop over to Vegas too, specifically:
- LA
- San Fran and surrounding area (Monterey, Santa Cruz, Big Sur etc)
- Las Vegas
- possibly Grand Canyon

We like:
- outdoorsy stuff: mountain biking, bit of horseriding (though both novices in this respect!) wide open landscapes
- nightlife of all sorts: bars, live music, restaurants (not that keen on standard "nightclubs" though)
- exploring the real essence of anywhere we visit, we hate taking the usual tourist trail, so any recommendations of odd little places you know would be great too!

What's the best route/roads? What sort of vehicle? Recommendations for off-the-beaten-track guesthouses, B&B's, hotels etc would be brillant too!

Thanks!
K

[Fallon]

Thanks to all who replied - loads to take in and research and this weekend will be spent looking at all the stuff recommended!!

Have a great weekend people.