Hey Vegas, just a word of warning...I used to live in San Luis Obispo and there's a road that cuts across the mountains from Vegas all the way to Highway 1 near Cambria/Hearst Castle. All I remember about it after taking it once is that I would never take it again...the road was so winding that it took much longer than we had expected, and I got carsick on the dip-de-doos (normally I do love mountain driving). This was 10 years ago, tho, so maybe they've fixed some of those dips and all. It would be worth getting a second, more recent opinion, maybe.

I'd much more recommend taking the extra time and go through Barstow toward LA and catch the 1 around Ventura.