"John Harper" wrote:

I'd love to know in advance what is the
preferred IFR route from VCB to PAO.

Other than intellectual curiosity, why? Even when they give you a
clearance you'll probably spend most of the time on vectors anyway.
I'd guess it involves Vwhatever (I'm away from home) that goes
OAK-SUNOL-SJC.

That's what I had guessed as well, but after conscientiously filing that
route on DUATS I found myself copying one of the more complicated and
devious full-route clearances I've ever had the privilege to accept.

If I'd known the preferred route, I would have filed it, been mentally
prepared for it (becoming familiar with the names of a couple of obscure
intersections), had it preloaded in the GPS, and copied little more than "as
filed."

And yes, after all of this, what I actually flew was: TZZ radar vectors
CCR, direct. But it was late at night.