Thanks for the responses, that gives me some confidence that this might be a great solution. My riding choices during the winter are extremely limited, the Olympic Discovery Trail, a few highways that have safe shoulders, the local town that is bike friendly, and if I want to go some distance, Seattle is exceptional for good bike trails and roads. Where I can ride for daily rides is quite predictable. I can probably start with the 11-34 on my winter wheels and by spring, pick up an 11-32 for my summer carbon wheels. I like the idea of being able to mostly stay on the big ring too. It's also interesting to hear there is an 11-30 available but to start with, going more radical seems prudent (the MTB was like I had an electric motor ;-)).
On the cadence, I've monitored it closely with my Roam and the original 28, would never allow me to keep a high cadence even though I practice it in the evenings on my trainer, just too many hills and constant winds.
I wasn't aware there was a medium cage, possibly I should look into that too with a new chain and cassette. I assume I need a new chain for the 11-34 or 32. To go to the 32, I calculated I would need a 54 inch rather than the 53 that came on the bike.
Thanks again all three. I really appreciate information from people who have actually made the swap. It's pretty easy to throw money at something without improvement when you are new to this.