Thanks to all for the assist. Nathank, that's a wealth of information. I will have to take all this good inside info into account. I would probably miss the mountains in some of these areas, but I am still happy riding a bike on any kind of terrain (even flat pavement). I'm thinking what I need to do is visit some of these places and get a feel for them.

As for N. California (Redding, etc.) I really know very little about it. All my excursions have led me south and east. Biking in the Bay Area is pretty good, but as I said, it is expensive here.