I am all about the ride. I have the whole summer off to be a transient and this summer I intend to take it there on my bike. Two years back I drove to Washington and came down the coast of Oregon in to California. 7k in two weeks. Slept in my car the whole time I wasn't driving exept when I got to Washington to look up an old flame. Was an incredible time with my three little dogs. That was a bit of a drag at times which is why I opted to drive and sleep in my car the few hours at a time I did drive.
Washington was the most beautiful scenery along with Oregon I have ever seen. I kept on wishing I didn't have pets to take care of because I would have ridden the bike there. But nonetheless we live in an incredibly wonderful place that most never even get to know in their lifetime.
Heck I live in Chicago and the people here often never even leave their neighborhoods. Incredible.