I guess depending on traffic and the time of the day it would take somebody 6+ hours. You can get tied up in Santa Rosa. Also depending on where the conference is. I've made it to S.F. in about 4.5 hours many times. Add sometime to get yourself to SFO. Of course I'm very familiar with the drive. Wow! 5 hrs. to drive from Santa Rosa to Eureka. Perhaps if you make stops.