phi

Very exciting. I don't know any of the areas you mention offhand, but I'd suggest checking out the individual route segments on the Adventure Cycling site for ideas. (For example, Monroeville, IN to Orchard Park, NY.). If any of your eastern path takes you near the Northern Tier, I can offer suggestions or my now-out-of-date maps. It's not like roads move around that much.

A few bits from memory:

• Probably too far north for your route, but Highway 61 in Minnesota/Wisconsin(?) has wide, well-marked bike lanes, just under the river bluffs of the Mississippi, and there are state-park shelters near a lot of it.


• If your path takes you through Stillwater, MN (again, farther north than you expect to go), I can recommend a very nice couple who offer shelter to bicycle travelers. I met their son traveling the other way.


• Running parallel to any of the Adventure Cycling maps will ensure that you see a lot of cyclists & locals who are friendly to cyclists.


• Monroeville, Indiana has a town-supported, air-conditioned bike shelter and is worth routing through just for that experience.


• The Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum is near Iowa City, and I'd be stunned if you can't find friendly camping space nearby. Many hotels in Iowa City/Cedartown are cheap at midsummer, since there are no football games yet.
  

I have cyclist friends in northern New Mexico, if that's along your route. (A google map would help me visualize where you're going.)

Also, the email list touring@phred.org(bikelist.org?) is a great option for checking in about routes in unfamiliar parts of the country.

Good luck! I'd love to follow your tour but I'm a Facebook conscientious objector, so a blog/LJ/etc mirror would be really handy for me.

PS. Public libraries are a wonderful internet access mechanism.