When in Arkansas anywhere West of Little Rock, you want to be NORTH of I-40 for all the best roads: Hwy 16, 21, 23, 27, 74, 14, 123, 9, 5, 341 (especially this one and 123!). If you have time, head North out of Yellville on AR 125, ride Peel Ferry across Bull Shoals Lake, run on up 125 and it becomes Missouri 125. Keep heading North until you reach MO H, hang a left off 125 and cut back South to US 160. That is a superb stretch of twisty nirvana. From there I would cut back East on US 160 to 125, go back across the ferry, and head back down toward Marshall on US 65 (or you could get there from Branson). Then get back to meandering Westward on all those roads mentioned above. You could easily spend an entire week just riding in Northern Arkansas and SW Missouri.
If you plan to do Pikes Peak, I would also plan to do Mt. Evans. It is just West of Denver on the South side of I-70. Look for Hwy 103. It runs South to Hwy 5. Hwy 5 runs up to the peak. It is an awesome ride and the views spectacular if it is clear. You will be at 14,260 ft in the parking lot at the top. If you are not used to altitude, it can make you sick unless you are careful about not exerting yourself. When you leave here, head back across I-70 to Hwy 119, 72 and 7 up to Estes Park and the Rocky Mtn NP. That stretch of highway is called the Peak to Peak highway. It is an awesome ride. Run US 34 through the park. At US 40, you can run back down to I-70 before heading West or you can run US 40 over to Hwy 9 or Hwy 131 to head back down to I-70. If you run down US 40 toward Dillon, be sure to check out Loveland Pass on old US 6 East of Dillon. It is an easy loop on the South side of I-70. The run on 70 from Dillon all the way to Grand Junction is actually a really pretty ride.
Once you get West of Dillon, it really is hard to find a bad road. 91 South over Freemont Pass to US 24 is fun. At US 24, head South to 82, then NW back up over Independence Pass to Aspen. You can run up to Glenwood Springs from there or cut SW on 133 at Carbondale. The run over Mc Clure pass is really fun. I'd maybe head up to Glenwood Springs, then go back down to 133 and head to Hotchkiss. There, pick up 92 and run down to the North side of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and on down to US 50. At 50, head East to Hwy 149 and run down through Lake City and Creede to South Fork at US 160. That will take you over Slumgullion Pass and past the headwaters of the Might Rio Grande River (forms the border between Texas and Mexico). At US 160, head South over Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs. Stay on 160 all the way to Durango. There, hop on US 550 and head North (This is the Million Dollar Highway). Run that all the way up to Montrose and pick up US 50 to 133 at Delta. Head East a short bit to the start of Hwy 65. Run 65 up and over the Grand Mesa to I-70. At I-70, head West to Fruita on the far side of Grand Junction. Head South on Hwy 340 and look for the entrance to the Colorado National Monument. This is a go slow and take in the views so you don't blow a curve and fly off a cliff kind of road. It brings you back into Grand Junction on the SW side of town. If you are hungry and the time is right, find the Rock Slide Cafe/Brewery in the down town area. From Grand Junction head South on US 50 a few miles to the start of Hwy 141. Head West toward Gateway (there is gas at Gateway now). Run 141 all the way down to Naturita and pick up 145. Run 145 down through Telluride, up and over Lizzard Head Pass down to Cortez. Just West of Cortez on US 160 is Mesa Verde NP. It has some amazing cliff dwellings and is worth checking out.
From Cortez, there are several options. I would head back up toward Moab on US 191. Check out Dead Horse Point State Park, Needles Overlook, Canyon Land NP, Arches NP, and maybe rent some kind of Jeep/Side by Side so you can drive out past the Potash Lakes to Shafer Rd and run up to Island in the Sky. Heading out to the Chicken Corners, down Kane Creek and Lockhart Basin roads) would also be a lot of fun. Most of that is dirt though, hence the Jeep/buggy rental suggestion. When you are done with the Moab area, I would head back South on US 191 to Bluff and pick up US 163 West to Hwy 261 near Mexican Hat. You can check out the Valley of the Gods. If you like, you can run on down to Monument Valley, see the massive Mesas, check out that famous LONG Straight stretch of road in the Forrest Gump movie (if you have seen it) where he stops running and says it's time to go home. Then backtrack to 261 and run up the Moki Dugway (gravel but easy even on a street bike). Run 261 all the way up to 95. Make the run up 95 to the Colorado River. Just before the bridge over the river, there is a place called Hite Marina. It will be on the left. You can get gas and snacks here. The run up 95 through the canyon is great! At Hanksville, head West on 24 through the Capitol Reef NP to Hwy 12 at Torrey. Run 12 down through the Dixie NF and the Grande Escalante Staircase National Monument. This place is like no where else in the world. Run 12 to Bryce Canyon. You can EASILY spend a day at Bryce Canyon.
When you leave Bryce, head West to US 89 and go North to Panguitch. Pick up Hwy 143 and run that SW back to Hwy 148 and then 14. Check out Cedar Breaks National Monument along the way. Maybe spend a night in Cedar City. Head down I-15 to Hwy 7, then Hwy 9 and on East into Zion NP. Again, like Bryce, you can EASILY spend an entire day checking out this place!
So you mentioned getting all the way over to the West coast. I don't know how much time you plan on spending here, but just the stuff I've already mentioned could very easily take several weeks. Heck, I could easily spend several weeks just in the area of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina!! From Zion, you can maybe head North up toward Yellowstone. That area around the Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana borders is incredible. I just returned from a week long riding/camping trip out there. The Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho/Montana border are beautiful! You could check out Jackson Wyoming and the Grand Tetons just South of Yellowstone. The Chief Joseph and Beartooth Highways on the East side of Yellowstone are awesome rides with incredible scenery. You could work your way up toward Butte, Missoula, and then start working West toward Spokane Washington. I can't tell you much about where to ride out there from personal experience as I have not made it that far... yet... But you could then start working South toward California and the PCH. Leaving California, I would head toward Las Vegas and then back toward Zion NP. Maybe you could skip Zion after Bryce and head North, then pick up Zion as you leave California? If so, then from Zion I would head to US 89 and cut South to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The views are better on the North Rim and it is usually less crowded than the South Rim.
After the Grand Canyon, I would head down into Arizona through Flagstaff. Head SW on 89-Alt to Prescott, then East on 169 and I-17 to Camp Verde. Run 260 from Camp Verde to Eagar. Head South on US 180 to Alpine and pick up US 191. If you can make it, 191 South of Alpine is NOT to be missed!! Run it all the way down to Clifton. You will pass one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world. It is a sight to behold. The ride is also spectacular and there is usually no traffic at all. At Hwy 78, head East into New Mexico and pick up US 180 again. At Silver City, head up 15-Alt and go see the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Then come back down 35 to Hwy 152 and continue East to I-25. Run down to US 70 and cut across the White Sands of New Mexico to Alamogordo. Head up to Cloudcroft on US 82. In town, head South on the SunSpot highway and go down to the Sun Spot Observatory. Head inside to check that out. Then run back up the highway to Cloudcroft. Just before town, head SE on Hwy 24. Run that down to Weed. Stop at the Weed Cafe and have a Green Chili Cheeseburger. It is worth the drive! It is also a really nice ride. Keep going South on 24 to Pinon and then loop back NE toward US 82 on 24. Run 82 into Artesia. Head South on 285 and check out Carlsbad Caverns. Walk down into the caverns instead of taking the elevator. Plan to spend at least several hours here. Head down US 180 to Tx 54 and go South. Pick up US 90 and head for Marfa. Ride all the paved roads, especially 170. Stop in Terlingua. Check out the Big Bend NP. From there, head toward Marathon on US 90 and start heading East toward Del Rio. Gas up in Marathon!! At Comstock, head North on 163 and 189 to US 277. If you need gas, head up to Sonora on I-10, otherwise go South on 277 to 55 and run 55 all the way to Camp Wood. You will then be in the Texas Hill Country. Roads to ride are the Three Sisters: FMs 335, 336, 337. Also, FMs 1050, 470 and Hwy 83, 187, 39 and 16. Just North of Vanderpool on 187 is the Lonestar Motorcycle Museum. It is not huge, but it has an impressive collection of cool old bikes, all in running condition! You can also check out Los Maples State Park. If you head up 16 to Fredericksburg from Kerrville, there is the Admiral Nimitz Museum that someone else already mentioned. Also, Fredericksburg now has a town of wineries if you are into that. From there, just pick any backroads to get yourself over to Austin. Pretty much all of them have been paved.
If you actually manage to hit all this stuff, you will have seen a LOT of some of the best riding this country has to offer and some of the coolest national parks.
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However, the vast majority of the famous landmarks are within easy walking distance, all located in or along the edge of "the Mall". That would include the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, The Vietnam, Korean War, and WW2 Monuments, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian Museums. Arlington National Cemetery is just beyond the Mall at one end, but still within striking distance if you are a stout walker. The White House and the Capitol Building are a bit farther and would likely require moving your bike. If you love classic airplanes, there is of course the Smithsonian Aerospace Museum, right there on the Mall. But most people don't know about its annex, the Udvar-Hazy Museum, which is right on the edge of Dulles Airport, and is arguably even more interesting than the downtown one. All of the places I just mentioned are free to the public. Oh, the Holocaust Museum is very near the Mall, also.
The stuff South of I-40 is okay, but it is usually MUCH more crowded than the stuff to the North. At best, I might drop down to check out Magazine Mountain. If I were headed to DFW, then I would do the Talimena Byway. But if I were just passing through on the way to Colorado, I would focus on the stuff North of 40 and forget the rest of that. This is especially true of the area around Hot Springs which can be VERY crowded with long lines of slow moving cruisers that are very difficult to get around.
