You are playing my song--hope we can continue to post. I've been writing stories with pictures of my motorcycle trips since 2006 and have about 35 trips I've covered.

I started with a very basic point & shoot but have been steadily moving up about every year or so. I just bought a D7100 and am learning to use it on my motorcycle.

There are specific things you may want to consider when riding and shooting. First, I don't have room for a lot of lenses so I am just using a Tamron 16-300 lens. This is still small enough to keep on the camera and fit in my tank bag so I can stop and shoot without getting off the bike (birds and wildlife tend to spook once you're off your bike and moving around). I primarily take three kinds of pictures on my trips--wildlife (need the bigger zoom), scenery (need as wide an angle as possible) and pictures of people and other motorcycles (in the middle). So far I'm really happy with the D7100 and expect you'd be just as happy with the D7000.

The size issue still worries me some and I am now much more aware of the camera and tip-overs and security than I was with the point & shoot so that's a concern. However, so far I think the better picture quality and versatility of the DSLR will be worth it.

Happy riding and shooting--let us know how it turns out.

The first thing to consider is what types of pictures does she like to shoot? If she is into subjects and/or animals where telephoto is desirable then in the $500 area the Nikon P600 is an excellent choice. I recently used mine in Africa and took over 5000 shots--many of them turned out excellent.

Having said that, I also learned the limitations of point & shoot cameras and came home and purchased a good DSLR--but I spent a lot more than $500. A carefully selected used DSLR is a good alternative but be careful--the first hit is free kid--then, yea, we know, you can quit anytime...

But my wife is very happy with her Nikon P530 (model before the P600) and takes some excellent pictures and has no desire to move on to a DSLR. So work on what kind of pictures she may take and try and decide from there.

Hi from sunny San Diego. I just made the switch from a point and shoot to a DSLR. Lots to learn. Taking courses is always good as it will start you off with good habits. I am also going through the owner's manual every day trying to learn a new button or concept each day. More than that I'm trying to take lots of pictures and keeping a log of my settings so when I look at them when I get home I can tell the differences in the settings. I also will email them or post them to myself so that I can see how the ultimate product will turn out. My main thrust in photography right now is travel journals--pictures and words--so that's what I'm training for. Consider how you intend to use your pictures and focus on that. It's a great upgrade so you should be very happy with your choice.

It really depends on your personality. Recently my wife decided we should go to Africa--I hadn't considered Africa seriously--it only took me about 10 seconds to really get into the idea and it was the best trip ever.

But more importantly--your wife is retiring. This is a big deal and will change your lives significantly. When we retired we both went the same day and moved from Berkeley to San Diego. That really was a major change and it allowed us to reinvent our lives as retired people. Ten years later that is working very well. Once in San Diego I bought a motorcycle and a camera and the rest is history. I live for my travel journals. (Just an idea.)

For you, it will be really good for you and your wife to completely break the mold of your life where you live otherwise it will be difficult for her to get into her changed status at home. This long trip will and should be an excellent chance for both of you to work out your new life without normal distractions and without work.

Also, do what we did--buy new cameras--take classes and study and practice with them--then record the whole experience. Take the cameras everywhere and record everything (we took over 10,000 pictures during a month in Africa). Take a laptop and edit them as you go. It will give your trip focus. If you are so inclined keep a journal to go with your pictures and send the journal and pictures to family and friends.

That's just one idea but his is, after all, a photo forum. But you should get the idea--focus on something new and really get into the trip and it will be wonderful--you may even wind up writing to us asking how you can permanently move to Italy.

Happy Sailing...

Don't know your budget or exactly what type of pictures you plan on taking but I had good luck with my Nikon P600 (it's cost is at the high end of point and shoots). I took over 5000 pictures in Africa using the viewfinder most of the time. Some of the 5000 pictures were actually quite good.

Having said that, photography is addictive and during that trip I discovered some of the limitations of the point and shoot cameras and upgraded when I got home (so beware). But my wife continues to use and get good results from her P600.

It should be a wonderful trip--the whole Oregon coast is one of the most beautiful in the world with lots of photo ops. If you can get as far south as Bandon be sure to check out the Coquille River Light House (formerly the "Bandon Lighthouse." Against the wild seas there it's tremendously photogenic. Basically, all the comments you've received are spot on. Hope you have a great trip--you'll be sure to get some wonderful pics as the light up there is super.

All great answers but this is my advice. I've done this trip many times and my favorite is still sticking to Highway 1 and 101 as much as possible. The northern California coast and southern Oregon coast are among the most beautiful in the world. When you get to Washington be sure to drive around the Olympic Loop and then take the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria then you can cross to Vancouver. It's one of the best road trips in the world and watch for the lighthouses as they are wonderful photo ops. You will have a great trip.