Originally Posted by alan s (Post 19385179)

Thinking ahead to the summer, anywhere from June to August, and trying to come up with an "epic ride in an awesome location" list. OK, that's a bit of a joke, but you know what I mean, hopefully. East coast of the US is my starting point, and the farthest I really want to fly is Europe or anywhere in North America.

The main constraint is time, which allows for about 9 days of riding, plus time to get there and back. Also, I don't really want to spend much time in urban areas, and prefer most of the time riding in beautiful surroundings (who doesn't, right?). Also, not into roughing it, dealing with bad weather or critters, or seeing some obscure locations. Easy to get there and back is a must. Cost is not a factor, but I do like camping, so at least an opportunity to stay in campgrounds some of the time would be ideal.

So far, I'm thinking about, in no particular order:

- going back to Switzerland and riding the eastern portion; rode in the western portion last summer
- riding from Munich to Bratislava along the Isar and Danube and taking the train back
- hill towns in Italy
- Loire Valley/Paris
- Erie Canal (a bit less epic, but on my list nonetheless)
- Ireland or UK
- somewhere out West?

I know that's a lot to choose from, and surely there are many other places that fit the criteria. What are your thoughts or suggestions?