That would have been me. Rode 101 from San Jose, across the GG Bridge, up to Novato, then 37 to Vallejo, & 680 back to San Jose (with a stop at the Danville Starbucks Reserve). Technically, I'm not from the North Bay, although I do have family up that way, plus my job (professional chauffeur) does take me to the Napa area on a somewhat-regular basis.
Looking to do another (ok, so the last time was back in 1999) ride up Hwy 1 to Mendocino, then 101 back south (probably 680 for the final stretch to SJ). Maybe you should consider heading to the South Bay, as there's some excellent roads in the Santa Cruz mountains (Hwy 9, 35, 1, 82, etc), not to mention numerous back roads.
Thank you both. I regularly ride 1 up Mendocino way (went up as far as Stewart's Point last weekend), and really like 128 as an alternative link to 101. Let me know if you'd like to try to connect for a portion of that ride. I'd be up for trying out some South Bay rides as well - will have more time in July to get down there. Cheers!