Agreed.

For the OP getting out of the Burgh he might want to consider the Google map option. The thing I like about Google is you can go down to street view mode and inspect the road and even inspect the shoulder for width and condition. What I do is take a look at the satellite mode and then zoom in at street view where it looks like it could be sketchy. I inspected a 40 mile stretch in about 10 minutes doing that the other day. Can even find camping and eating along the way.