INFLT WX ENCOUNTER ON A VFR FLT PLAN. VFR IN IMC.

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ON MAY/XX/95 I DEPARTED NATOMAS ARPT (Q96) AT PM00Z WITH 3 PAX IN A C-182/U. I OPENED MY FLT PLAN WITH RANCHO MURIETTA FSS AND CLBED ON COURSE 74 DEGS TO TONOPAH; NV; 11500 FT WAS MY CRUISE ALT. CLOUDS AHEAD APPEARED TO BE HIGHER SO I CONTACTED SAC FLT FOLLOWING THAT I WAS CLBING TO 13500 FT. I WAS INSTRUCTED AT THIS TIME TO CONTACT ZOA. I RPTED IN AT 13500 FT. THE APCHING CLOUDS WERE HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED; SO I MANEUVERED AROUND THEM MAINTAINING VMC. DURING THIS MANEUVERING I INADVERTENTLY CLBED ABOVE 14000 FT AND MOMENTARILY GOT INTO IMC CONDITIONS. I REVERSED MY COURSE AND GOT BACK TO VMC CONDITIONS. I CONTACTED ZOA AND REQUESTED INFO ON VFR ARPTS NEARBY. I HEARD CTR TALKING TO PLTS ABOUT BISHOP ARPT. CTR GAVE ME A VECTOR TO BISHOP AND WE PICKED UP A BEARING AND DISTANCE 158 DEGS TO 37 NM (GPS). WE FLEW TO BISHOP ARPT AND LANDED. I BELIEVE MY ERROR; IN THIS EPISODE; WAS NOT DIVERTING TO A S RTE INSTEAD OF CLBING TO 13500 FT TO CLB OVER CLOUDS. MY WX BRIEFING DID NOT PREPARE ME FOR THE CONDITIONS I ENCOUNTERED KNOWING THAT THESE CONDITIONS EXISTED ALONG MY RTE I WOULD HAVE FILED FOR BAKERSFIELD AND GONE AROUND THEN.