Originally Posted by
Weetbix
Getting at least 3 months off work if you work, or clearing your schedule for 3 months otherwise. You can do it in 2, but I would recommend around 90 days to truely take your time and enjoy it, with sufficient off-days.
We found 73 days to be a comfortable amount of time, but allowing more and having an open schedule is a big plus. OTOH, Having to worry about meeting a deadline is a joy killer. So I agree that allowing 90 days is a good idea, but I think that is mainly to allow you to not feel pressed not because you will actually need the time.
I suggest that you consider the possibility of using rest half days once in a while and skip the rest days except where you want a day off to actually do something and even then riding 20-40 miles in the morning is usually better than taking a day off for me. This does not suit everyone, but I suggest trying it. I know that I am not all that happy when I wind up staying the same place twice when on tour. On the TA the only full day we took off was to go whitewater rafting and even then we rode a short way down the road rather than stay the same place.
I figure that if I need a full day off I am probably doing too much daily mileage and I would rather do a daily mileage that allows me to ride day in and day out. Also I find an easy day a better recovery than a day off anyway.
That reminds me of another thing... Especially for the first 10 days to two weeks keep your daily mileage at a manageable level and don't push for long miles. Build the daily mileage as you go, but keep it at a level you can maintain. If you push hard enough that you need to take a day and veg out in a motel that is a big waste in my mind. I did take one full day doing nothing on my last tour but only because I was too sick to ride. If you take days off I would much rather save them for doing something interesting and fun and that wouldn't be sitting in a motel room watching TV. If you want a day off save it to go rafting, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding or whatever. Still even doing most of those things doesn't preclude riding for a few hours at an easy pace.
Also another advantage of allowing extra time is that you may want to take a detour to see something that is a bit out of the way I am thinking of things like leaving the TA to hit Glacier NP, explore Rocky Mtn NP, or to ride over to the Tetons. We were on a tight enough schedule that we didn't feel like we could do much of that. A more open ended schedule frees you to be a bit more spontaneous in taking side trips.