Originally Posted by
Machka
Short tours are great for those of us who can only spare a few days from our busy schedules to spend on a cycling tour ... or for those of us who want to do a quick exploration of the area where we live or an area we want to learn more about ... and for those who want to test equipment, bicycle setup, etc.
When you go on a short hub-and-spoke tour, overnight tour, weekend tour, long weekend tour, maybe even a week-long tour, or something similar, tell us about it here. 
Where did you go? What did you see along the way? Would you recommend the area? What sort of accommodation did you use? What kind of bicycle did you ride? Did you learn anything new?
What short tours do you have planned for 2013?
We organized a three day ride on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes in Idaho. Although it was only 70 miles, we broke into 3 days because some riders (14 total) were children and some were new to distance riding. We camped along the way, so my wife and I moved tents etc with two cars then would ride back to meet the rest on our tandem. One of the families was from Sweden, and they had a ball. It is a gorgeous trail with lots of wildlife, including moose, and several interesting small towns. The mining tour in Wallace is very entertaining. Highly recommended ride.
Late this summer, we plan on riding from Paulina Lake (south of Bend, OR), along the Twisted River hwy, through Prineville, OR, and ending at The Cove State Park. My Brother is going to leapfrog us with our pop-up trailer so we will be staying in campgrounds with that. I've driven along the Twisted River Highway but never biked. It is very picturesque. We will be riding our tandem which we've come to love.
Long range goal? I'd love to bike part of Europe before I'm too old to do such things.