Summer: Stonybrook Inn, McCloud. Off the I-5 corridor. Quiet mountain getaway around Mt Shasta.
Fall: Anywhere along Central Coast; Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria or Awahanee Hotel, Yosemite Nat. Park (After schools reopen or the Labor Day weekend) Beaches and trails are no longer crowded but you do see an influx of European Tourists taking vacations and the overall atmosphere is quite pleasant. Plus, this is "Summer" at the beach. Temps. inland fall and the sun comes out along the coast, as opposed to the cold & fog that frequents June - August.
Winter: Wilbur Hot Springs; see mapquest
Spring: Bay area favorite Hotel: Embarcadero Cove Motel 6. Affordable, convenient, on the water.