Originally Posted by markharf

I’m having some difficulty imagining your trip as it’ll unfold on the ground. You’re covering a lot of ground, but don’t appear to be actually [I]seeing[I] very much, mainly because so much of what’s worth seeing along your route requires either long side trips, getting off the bike and walking around, or both. That’s in addition to the factors cited by PanEuropean.

Please take the following with a grain of salt—I’m getting older, more weary, and no longer possess preternatural levels of energy, even briefly. But having said that, maybe bear in mind that I’m familiar with virtually all the places you’re going, most of the available routes, and am in fact astraddle your day #18 as we speak.

Starting with day #2, I don’t see any point taking the long route around the Olympic Penninsula unless you’re going to be stopping at a beach or two—the best are far off-route—and doing some wandering among the big (<—-understatement) trees. If that doesn’t interest you, perhaps because you’re from Vancouver and figure you’ve seen it all, well, why spend the time navigating local roads in disappointingly heavy traffic. It’s not world-class riding; it’s world-class scenery and ecosystems.

The Oregon Coast is nice enough, but in truth it’s not world-class; more like a series of beach towns with some pretty good scenery and beaches interspersed between. The best stuff starts in the southernmost parts of Oregon and through the redwood parks and the Lost Coast (don’t miss this, but allow extra time getting to and from, and then more extra for walking the beaches). And you can’t really appreciate the redwood forests until you take an extended hike through them—driving or riding is impressive, but insubstantial.

On a different sort of note, there are places which are less rewarding on foot—like Grand Teton and Yellowstone, unless you’re skiing in the relative quiet of the off-season as I am. But by May, both will be overflowing with chaotic drivers, making NOT stopping less than rewarding as well (IMHO). Grand Canyon and Zion, on the other hand, positively beg to be hiked in (The Narrows!), although don’t forget the time-consuming shuttle to/from Zion Canyon. And if you’re skipping Canyonlands, Moab, and Arches in favor of Dinosaur, well, you must have a good reason to do so

I could go on in this vein, but I’ll spare you. I do hope you’re scheduled to catch the opening of the Beartooth Highway, usually late May. And despite all appearances, I hope the above is helpful.