A year ago, my wife and I loved a trip through the Willamette Valley, Oregon's pinot noir country. So when thinking of a European vacation, it seemed a great idea to visit where the pinot noir grape was born (and still lives quite comfortably, thank you.) Instead of driving, we thought it would be cool to bike.

If you've ever thought of a bike tour, as we had, perhaps you were put off by the idea of a super-organized trip. Sure, all arrangements are made for you: a guide leads you and a "sag wagon" follows with your bags and a ride when you tire of pedaling. But there's also keeping up with people who may be fitter than you or being held back by people who are not. Maybe you're just not a team person. And the fanciest of these trips can be very pricey.

So consider the self-guided tour. Google "self-guided bicycle tour" and you will find many companies offering this service to many locations. For a lot less money, they provide a bike (including helmet and such), a map and route book, and a phone number if you get in trouble.

They also make hotel and restaurant reservations and move your bags between hotels. In many cases, the routes they suggest are loops that bring you back to the same hotel for two or three nights before moving you to another hotel for more loops. This means you can shorten a loop they planned, or even blow off pedaling for a day if you feel like it. The only cycling you must do is when you move from one hotel to the next. Trips are usually graded for difficulty; beginner to moderate is my idea of a manageable level.

I like to meander, not race.