(Death Valley, Alabama Hills, Big Sur, areas north of San Francisco)..
I have car camped in DV, AH and the Big Sur coast. I would NOT trust the north coast above SF, even though the areas are populated by the kind and considerate, they are also traveled by those who take easy advantage of those same easy going people. Down around Big Sur it is easy and so far very safe to crash for the night.
Hope you enjoy the trip and get the shots. My worst events (dangerous, threatening interactions) have occurred at evenings in the Eureka CA area, and in early morning along the road in Montana. Not bad for many hundreds of times in the wild.