Welcome to my world. SFO is probably your best option if you want to save some money. I used to do it all of the time but, now it has to be a really good deal to get me make the drive. But, you'll need to rent a car. The train is not an option. It's about a 5 hr. drive. Yes, there are other airports closer than that but, you'll run into the same situation as acv. If you decide to make the drive it really isn't bad if you haven't done it before. Very nice through the Redwoods. Also if you decide to fly to acv on ua through sfo there is always good opportunities to vdb due to weight restrictions.