Im hoping to win a couple of days here and there along the route so that I can be done within 70 days and have enough days off for detours to things that interest me.
I'm thinking about the idea of cutting the detour out to Missoula, by heading south-east from Sisters. I see(if I believe google maps), that its possible to ride almost all the way parallel to the 84 without having to get too close to the freeway. Then just above Salt Lake city, I can head roughly east again towards Rawlings. This route will save almost 400mile which give me 5-6 days extra for some detours in the the Rockies (incl. Independence pass:)).
So my questions are;
1. What will I miss if I choose to do this route apart from ice cream in Missoula and Yellowstone.
2. Would it be a big mistake to take this route because its not very pleasant for example? If the published route is ALOT nicer than this route then I'd rather do the extra 400miles and run the risk of not getting to the other coast, a pleasant journey is much more important than the final destination.
Thanks for any feedback and suggestions.
Shane
www.coast2coast.tk