It’s not the most convenient sightseeing tour but you’ll definitely get to see a lot of the variety of the state while only missing out on a few major tourist destinations (like Yosemite or Sequoia Nat’l Parks).
Yosemite can actually be accessed from the east side of the Sierra, at least during the summer months, but it would require either going out the same way you came in or taking a larger detour and crossing at another pass.
I put some more California in your California: 36h, 2106mi
(I have no idea if any of these new stops would actually make a viable trip, aside from Santa Barbara)
It’s not the most convenient sightseeing tour but you’ll definitely get to see a lot of the variety of the state while only missing out on a few major tourist destinations (like Yosemite or Sequoia Nat’l Parks).
Yosemite can actually be accessed from the east side of the Sierra, at least during the summer months, but it would require either going out the same way you came in or taking a larger detour and crossing at another pass.