I go back to the days before GPS; but my rule remains the same. Look for areas that are "green" on the map. It is either forested, or farmers fields, or both. There is no better place to bike. The wild camping is everywhere and excellent; the scenery is gorgeous and pastoral; the people are unbelievable. Farmers are used to awkward roadway situations since they bring their heavy equipment into traffic on a regular basis. While the shoulders may not be as wide on the smaller roads as they are in the valley routes and county numbered routes, the roads tend to be quieter so you can hear traffic coming. The country stores will love your kids, and they will love the ice cream.

I do some research with modern day stuff like GPS and google earth, but nothing beats making your mind up as you go along. At the rate we are turning touring into street view we may as well let google steer our bicycles for us, as they are self driving cars.