Hi Lynsey,
Good choice flying out of Seattle. There's a lot to see and do along the Pacific Coast.
The first thing that I wonder is if you have to travel via LA. You've been there before. So skipping it can give you more time to spend in new places.
The distance between your start and stopping points is vast, which means that you have many options as far as route. But the main options are coast, inland or a mixture of the two. I won't recommend a specific route since that depends upon your interests. Instead I will point out some stops that you can make either on the coast or inland.
Highway 101 is considered one of the top scenic drives in the U.S. You can take it the entire way from southern California up to Seattle. Just north of LA you can stop in Santa Barbara and Solvang. Around that area is the central wine region. You'll find some good shopping in Santa Barbara. Solvang is a Danish Town that offers some great photo ops!
Another coastal stop is Big Sur, known for panoramic views of the ocean and rugged coastal cliffs. www.usatourist.com/english/destinations/california/bigsur/bigsur-main.html
Just north of Big Sur is Monterey and Carmel. Monterey has a nice wharf area to explore. Carmel is probably best known as the location of Pebble Beach (golf) and the town where Clint Eastwood was the mayor. There is a loop drive at Pebble Beach where you can see multi-million dollar mansions with the multi-million dollar views and possibly some not so expensive wild life. The loop drive does have a small fee. www.usatourist.com/english/destinations/california/monterey/monterey-main.html
North of San Francisco and just a little inland are Napa and Sonoma Valleys. They make up the best known wine region in the US and with good reason. There are hundreds of wineries that you can visit and taste at. www.usatourist.com/english/destinations/california/california-winecountry.html
Just south of the state border is Redwoods National Park. http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm This park is of course where you will find some of the famous Giant Redwoods. The park is on the coast and has some nice ocean views. I do think that a better place to enjoy the Redwoods though is the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This is south of the National Park. Highway 101 does pass throug the park. But watch for the signs for the Avenue of the Giants. This is a smaller roadway that runs parallel to 101.
The Oregon coast has many nice seaside towns. It is well known for it's picturesque seastacks. I beleive the northern part of the state has the more popular coastal destinations - Cannon Beach, Seaside.
If you want to do some shopping, stop in Portland. Oregon does not have sales tax on necessities such as clothing. Portland is the largest city in Oregon and will have lots of shopping centers and department stores to keep you busy!
In Washington 101 will follow the coast around the Olympic Penninsula. The Oregon coast is a lot nicer. And if you wish the visit the Olympic Penninsula, taking your car on the ferry from Seattle will likely take less time. Driving the entire penninsula on 101 will take a good chunk of time out of your trip. So once you get into Washington, I recommend following an inland route to Seattle.
On the Penninsula is of course Olympic National Park. At the town of Port Angeles is the entrance to Hurricane Ridge, in the mountains. Around the west side of the park is Rialto Beach and the Rain Forest. www.usatourist.com/english/places/washington/olympic.html and www.nps.gov/olym
Here are some inland attractions.
Just west of Las Vegas is Death Valley National Park. This is the hottest and lowest point in the U.S. August will be the hottest time of year. So be sure to plan accordingly if you go (lots of water, sunscreen). www.nps.gov/deva
West of Death Valley is Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park. www.nps.gov/kica
North of there is Yosemite National Park. If you can see only one national park in California, I think Yosemite is the one to visit. It's inspired many photographers and conservationists. Yosemite played a big role in inspiring our National Park System. www.nps.gov/yose
Continuing north you will find Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border. In the winter this a popular destination for skiers. In the summer the lake has a lot to offer for water sports and hiking.
Northwest of Tahoe is Lassen Volcanic National Park. www.nps.gov/lavo
In Oregon just north of the California Border on Interstate 5 is Ashland. This is the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. http://www.osfashland.org/plays/ You can see a variety of plays (not just Shakespeare) throughout the summer. The Elizabethan Stage is an outdoor theatre in the style of Shakespeare's era.
Northeast of Ashland you can find Crater Lake National Park. The lake is the deepest in the US and is known for its crystal clear water. www.nps.gov/crla
In southern Washington you can visit Mount Saint Helens National Monument. This is the volcano that errupted in 1980, covering Washington and beyond with ash. Nearly 30 years later, evidence of the devestation is clearly visible at the the monument. http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/
North of there is Mount Rainier National Park. This is a favorite getaway for Seattleites. There are a lot of great trails for hiking. http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm
If you detour east to central Washington, you can visit the wineries in Yakima Valley. Many wineries have tasting rooms just off of I-82.
There's no way that you can see all of these sights in just two weeks. But I think by picking about 5 places that you want to see, you can plan a route around those stops.
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