Congrats, Beth.
I've stayed there twice, both times during the summer when it was blistering hot. But I wasn't there to hang out in the CG -- Yosemite was my destination.
What will you be doing there? That's got to be a fairly slow season for them, I imagine. And while you might not appreciate it, we Californians are hoping like heck that El Niño makes its appearance this winter, so it could be a wet winter for you.
You'll be about an hour from the Valley from there. It's a pretty drive. Going down 120 from there is one of the scariest drives I've ever done. After doing it once with a friend in her motorhome (we were young and dumb back then), I vowed to never go that way again. So both times I stayed there I took the loooong way out and went through the Valley & down Hwy. 41 and through Fresno to get back to So. Calif.
The Sierras are beautiful. Hopefully you'll be able to get into the high country before the snow flies and they close it down. Again, if El Niño hits, the snowpack could be quite large this winter. But there's no better hiking, and the lakes are pristine.
Don't get me started on Yosemite.
I don't care what people say about the crowds. If you know how to navigate it, there are truly places in the Valley where you can be alone and not realize how many people there are in other areas. I'll share my secrets with you when you get there.