Hey - I did something similar two summers ago and enjoyed it. My recollection is that the M2S route near Lenoir was kind of crappy - busy highway. I imagine it was plenty quiet when the route was first put together. You might want to see if there are quieter backroads that bypass this part. The Piedmont spur should be fun except for the sprawl north of charlotte. You probably already know all this though. Have fun and stay cool - we ended up hoteling more than planned because of the heat.