Hi everyone,

I am in the process of planning a bike trip starting from Washington state in April or May next year. I will be visiting a friend in Spokane and picking up a new touring bike before heading south. The eventual goal is to tour through Central and South America.

Regarding North America though, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for travel from Spokane down through southern California. I eventually need to hit Ventura and San Diego to visit friends and family, so I'll need to be on the coast at some point, but never having been to any of the great parks in the west, I was wondering if I could plan a route that swings by Yosemite, for example, or if it's 'better' (read: more interesting, more beautiful, more memorable) to go down the coast to San Francisco. I'll be camping most nights, if that makes a difference in route suggestions. I have already given notice at my job and have no definite timetable to return, so finding the most direct route is not necessary.

In short: Strike for Astoria and the coast right from Spokane, or is there value in staying inland instead?