Hey, guys.. Have a quickish question for you cross country tourers..

Planning a ride this upcoming May. Going cross country, Portland, OR to NYC. Wanted to get some routing ideas.. From what I have seen in previous posts, as well as what I gathered from the ACA maps, most riders go through the Northern states.. I didn't see too much cycling across the middle. Even if you apply the "cycling" layer to google maps, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska don't get much action. I understand that some of that area is mountains, and some is desert. Was wondering if anybody can speak from personal experience on riding through the region? Is there any reason why majority of cross country tourers go through the North? I laid out a rough preliminary route on Google Maps, and this is what I came up with..



If you want a little more detail, this is the actual Google route..

http://g.co/maps/a9bkg

If anybody can share some wisdom regarding this route, I would really appreciate it.. Specifically, any hazards.. Abundance of services in the area.. I'm not talking about hotels, or anything.. More along the lines of convenience stores and such along the way. Would hate to run out of water running through the desert.. Maybe somebody could recommend alternatives?

The waypoints so far are..

Portland, OR
Boise, ID
Pocatello, ID
Cokeville, WY
Rock Springs, WY
Laramie, WY
Omaha, NE
Davenport, IA
Akron, OH
Allentown, PA
Bronx, NY

Really appreciate any input/discussion. Thanks, guys..