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I could give you a ton of info on the road from SF to Reno and then out to Salt Lake; this area is my speciality!

Are you planning on going through North Tahoe or South Tahoe, on your way to Reno?

I'm assuming you'll be taking I-80 from Reno to SLC; as a warning there is a whole lot of nothing in Northern Nevada! It's beautiful scenery, though, high mountains, big valleys, salt flats, etc... Are you planning on spending any time here, or just driving through? I would recommend driving through from Reno to Winnemucca (Lovelock smells like pigs, lol) and there's not much else out there; Reno to Winnemucca is about a 2.5 hours. Elko is about 2 hours from Winnemucca, though, and it's a really cute little town, if you wanted a place to spend half a day/night. From Elko, I would stop again at Wendover, which is right on the border of Nevada/Utah; be sure to refuel and stock up on water for your trek across the salt flats. From Wendover, it should only take you about 2 more hours to get to Salt Lake City!

How fun! I went on a pretty long road trip after high school... but things are much different now in the world of GPS's and fancy phones. Things will be soooo much easier for you! I don't know much about those places, but one tip is to keep some food on you so you don't have to make stops when you don't want to. We always had bread and pb&j and chex mix with us. And make sure you have a roll of toilet paper in your car.... you never know when you're going to need it!

Also consider taking 70 rather than 80 through Nevada for a more scenic (slower) route. You'll wind through cool tiny towns like Austin (yes, I got a speeding ticket there!) 80 is fast but ugly!

@lawbee11: You probably want to visit Santa Monica north of LA (right off the 101). It's a nice little beach town. There are a couple of landmarks (hearst castle I think) also off the 101 north on your way to San Fran.

Monterey is a beautiful little town that I highly recommend on the 1/101 on your way to San Fran.

@lawbee11: For Truckee food, my brother is the cook at Old 40 Kitchen. It's good down home cooking! Otherwise I love Cottonwood (great salads), Pianetta and Dragonfly for fancy. Log Cabin for breakfast if you are in Tahoe City.

Just tell me what you want and I've got North Tahoe covered for ya

If you need Amarillo or Albuquerque suggestions for food/activities, I'm your girl! Btw, take an audio book or somethig because there is a whole lot of nothing between Amarillo and Abq..like nothing.

@Mrs. Jacks: You've got mail!

@lawbee11: The Star is my favorite Elko Basque restaurant:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/star-hotel-elko-2

Let me know if you need any Reno recs!

ETA: If you take Highway 50 across Northern Nevada, be warned that there are some super cool stops along the way (petroglyphs, dinosaur bones, ghost towns, etc..) but it will lengthen your drive time, and it is very desserted. It's not called "The Loneliest Road in America" for nothing!

@lawbee11: Personally, I think Reno's riverwalk district is one of the nicest part of the whole town. If you want to stay somewhere close by and quiet, I'd recommend the Plaza on the River. If you want to stay in a casino, Grand Sierra recently remodeled and is nice (although it's not located downtown), and the Silver Legacy and Eldorado are good. I would stay away from the Atlantis (unless you get a tower room), the Peppermill, the Nugget, and the Sands. Downtown there are a ton of cool restaurants including the Chocolate Bar, a hookah lounge, a tapas restaurant, and a French bistro (among others). The riverwalk district is easy to walk around and there are always things going on (besides the shows, gambling, and events you'll find all the time at the casinos).

July is "Art Town" month in Reno, so there are events pretty much every night; August 3-12 is Hot August Nights, so there are concerts, events, and car shows all day and night that entire week. This is a great time to visit!

@lawbee11: Circus Circus is actually connected to the Eldorado and the Silver Legacy by an indoor corridor. There's restaurants, shops, an arcade, a circus show, etc... so it's kind of a great place to be!

@Boogs: I haven't made it yet. It is pricey but it is something to do once. That is why I suggested it. I am not sure I would go every year. My friends went last year and that was their take. It was something to do once.

@brownie: For sure, I would do it once if I were you. If you can, Fridays are the day to go because it's significantly less crowded.

@lawbee11: Nice! Do you have your SF plans already made?

@lawbee11: Unfortunately none that come to mind, we rarely eat out there. I know yelp had a good sushi recommendation last time I looked. I'll ask some people I know and see if they say anything.

Here are a few SF suggestions, too.

Pinocchio’s Trattoria in North Beach (amazing homemade Italian food and great drink menu)
http://trattoriapinocchio.com/
 
Chioppinos at Pier 47 (great seafood and minestrone soup)  http://www.letseat.at/cioppinos
 
DiMaggio’s Steakhouse in North Beach

For breakfast:
Hollywood Café by the Wharf
 
And last:
You cannot go wrong with Specialties cookies.  http://www.specialtys.com/
 
 

At the Grand Canyon, check out Shoshone Point. It's a fantastic view point, and it's not on the South Rim Trail, so there's a good chance there won't be anyone else there with you (rare on the south rim in the summer!). It's just a little east of all of the south rim amenities on Desert View Dr/64. The turn off is labeled, and there's a little parking lot and a short, easy walk to the rim.