A year ago we bought our LEAF at Santa Barbara Nissan in Goleta and drove it back to SF.
The charging infrastructure is still not great yet, but, the #s of L2s might have tripled, so there are probably more options available. It was our first drive, so we relied on Nissan dealerships primarily as we only had the L1 charging cord! We called ahead to the dealerships for their "ok" to charge, out of courtesy. All the dealerships were nice about us staying to charge. Hung out with trucks alot in slow lane. Before this, we had hardly driven with the truckers, and always felt sorry for the slow moving vehicles. But, surprisingly, it was quite relaxing vs. barreling down the highway with everyone else. 345 mile trip.
This is what we did to San Jose:
Santa Barbara Nissan (w/almost 100% charge) to Santa Maria Nissan. Distance almost 67 miles, 1hr.25 min. drive. Charged at SM Nissan for almost 5 hrs. (not 100%, but near).
SM Nissan to San Luis Obispo Coast Nissan. Distance approx 31 miles, 40 min drive. Topped off at L2 for 3 hrs.
A stop was not required in SLO, but we were meeting a friend for dinner.
We just stopped by SLO last week and Target has some L2 chargers. That area will give you some shopping choices if preferable than hanging out at another dealership area.
SLO to Holiday Inn Express, Atascadero. 18.4 miles. L1 charge for 10-11 hrs. Called hotel ahead . They said no problem plugging in with our Panasonic L1 cord. Placed a carpet over our cord to prevent tripping hazard on a less frequented walkway that had outdoor plugs.
Original plan was to stay at a Paso Robles hotel or RV park. Paso Robles hotels all booked due to armed forces being deployed. RV parks had limited entry/exit hours and no car/tent camping allowed.
Holiday Inn Exp, Atascadero to San Lorenzo Park, King City. 65.1 miles. 20 hr. charge on L1 at water and electricity car/tent camping spot ($35 then). This was our "camping" day. Had lunch before we arrived, got minimal supplies for dinner and breakfast (no cooler). SL Park also has RV sites. Not sure if RV sites would have ability to plug in a modified EVSE for L2 charging. We only had L1 then! Give them a call for up-to-date info. We stayed in August and very low-key and empty then, so no reservations required.
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/parks/sanlorenzo_camping.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.yelp.com/biz/san-lorenzo-county-park-king-city" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
San Lorenzo Park, King City to My Salinas Nissan. 50.5 miles. Approx 1 hr. drive. 3 1/2 hr charge.
My Salinas Nissan to San Jose! 62 mile drive. Approx. 1 hr. 15mins drive for us.
Best of wishes for a safe and fun trip!