I keep bumping up against this problem. If I am going to a particular destination on my bike I can plan the route to follow Interstates (aka the slab) and get there relatively quickly. These routes range from downright boring (I 90 from Cleveland to NYC) to very nice (I 80 from Cleve to NYC) and anywhere in between.
I can also plan my trip taking state routes and county roads. These will pass through small towns, the roads will be curvy and hilly, and the average speed drops significantly. The quality of this ride is much higher (my opinion) than the slab, but the daily distance covered is much shorter. This kind of riding is not so much suited to point to point (destination) riding.
The problems with the second routing are finding places to stay unless larger towns or cities are used as stopping points, and the fact that the overall ride will take days longer means costs go up.
How do other guys balance these routing decisions? A number of you have planned 'trips of a lifetime' encompassing thousands of miles and weeks of time. Do you do a lot of slab riding? Back roads? A combination of these?
How much distance to you typically cover in a day of riding?
I can also plan my trip taking state routes and county roads. These will pass through small towns, the roads will be curvy and hilly, and the average speed drops significantly. The quality of this ride is much higher (my opinion) than the slab, but the daily distance covered is much shorter. This kind of riding is not so much suited to point to point (destination) riding.
The problems with the second routing are finding places to stay unless larger towns or cities are used as stopping points, and the fact that the overall ride will take days longer means costs go up.
How do other guys balance these routing decisions? A number of you have planned 'trips of a lifetime' encompassing thousands of miles and weeks of time. Do you do a lot of slab riding? Back roads? A combination of these?
How much distance to you typically cover in a day of riding?