The past couple years, I've done big week-long tours here in Michigan - Michigander and Shoreline West. I enjoy the routes and people, but only tolerate the camping even though I use Bubba's Pampered Pedalers to provide the tent, etc. In ideal conditions, I can almost enjoy it even with substandard facilities in the high schools we stay in, porta-johns, mass-served food, etc.

But last week's Michigander was brutal: ride 60+ miles in humid, mid-90s conditions, then get to a blazing hot campground where you couldn't even stick your head in the tent until the sun went down, then try to sleep in muggy 80-degree air. I called my wife after a couple days and she drove over to rescue me. At 65, I just don't need this and it isn't like I can't afford better!

Anyway, I'm thinking of trying a longish tour next year, such as the Great Allegheny Passage plus C&O Canal trail that is on my bucket list. There is a new big campout-type tour next June (bikegapco.com), but I've been looking into a smaller tour where you can stay in hotels at the end of a long day.

The trouble is, most of these seem to be for really casual bikers and are billed as "guided tours". I'd much rather ride on my own schedule and at my own pace, and don't really like riding with a group that I don't know pretty well. One nice thing about the larger tours is that you eat breakfast, look at your route sheet, and then are on your own until you get to the day's destination. So it looks like a choice between "freedom" and "comfort".

Does anyone here have any experience with these higher-end catered/guided tours? Any particular suggestions?