Thorina,
I live near Salt Lake. I've got a set of Givi hard bags for the Sprint so I've been able to make some longer trips in comfort. From here, I've been down into Monument Valley, and the area around Prescott AZ, up to Yellowstone and then into British Columbia, and over into northern California. I have family in the bay area, as well as up in Weaverville and my in-laws are in Amador county. I have to admit that the stretch from SLC to Reno is brutal on a bike--it's not much fun in the car either--but heading north out of Reno and looping around Mt. Lassen, then over to the coast is a nice ride. Highway 299 between Redding and Eureka has some nice twisties.