NY and Westcoast in July for solo traveller

I see plenty of advice regarding the East coast part of the trip, Yosemite, Vegas and Grand Canyon, so I am not going to add anything to it. Maybe if you have some time to spare you can stop in the area around Sedona when you are near the Grand Canyon, the Red Rock County is something special.
When you are in California, don't forget that there are not only mountains, there is the ocean too! Whale watching will be really good in July. You can go from SF (good trips go to the Farallon Islands, setting off from Pier 39) or in Monterey. Wildlife in the Monterey Bay will be peaking while you are there: you might see humpbacks, blue whales, otters, California sea lions, harbour seals, dolphins and if you are incredibly lucky even orcas. It seems that Monterey is not part of your trip, but you may want to consider it for the aquatic wildlife, and nightlife is not bad either.
In Point Lobos, south of Carmel bay, you have good chances to see some whale tails and sprays from the coast and you can then go to Carmel, which has one of the best beaches in the State.
If you do scuba diving, you can have a good dive in Monterey, surrounded by sea lions. Point Lobos is a good diving site too, as well as La Jolla near San Diego, but I think that is out of your planned route.
Surfing is obviously good in California, and you can do that pretty much anywhere. In SF you can also kite surf under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Enjoy

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