BTW: Where are you located?

I'm tentatively planning on a trip across Washington on the John Wayne trail. But, at least parts of the trail are supposed to be extremely rough gravel. So, I'm planning a rough road touring bike build, specifically for that trail.

I don't know how much use my rough touring bike will get in the end, but you may consider multiple styles of touring before you dump a lot of dough into a touring bike build. Other trips you'd like to do? Non-paved surfaces?