Thanks for the kind response to my rant Mike, I'm sorry if it seemed a little inflamatory. This was the first thread I read on my first visit to the forum, and I was compelled to respond immediately. I must say your comments here gave me a bad first impression of you. But after lurking around and reading many of your other posts, I've found you are one of the greatest contributors here. You're insightful, informative and witty. I especially admire your committment to restoring discarded bicycles.
I live and ride mainly in the northeastern part of the state(which I indeed find quite delightful). I'm new to LD touring and not fully qualified to make any recommendations on an exact route, but I'll say that the farther north you go there'll be more development and less hills. So if you're a nature nut that likes to climb, stay on a southern course. Conversely, if you like easier pedaling and a wider variety of towns and cities, go north.