I'm trying to plan a trip from Halifax to Toronto and decided I'd take the most direct route by taking the ferry to Portland Maine and cutting through New England. I haven't ever done any touring but the trip will be more of a brevet or fast/light tour. I've never cycled outside Nova Scotia before so I should probably get a little advice on the route.

You can check out a draft of the route starting in Portland here.

Basically I'm planning on cutting through rural (?) ME, VT, NH, and the Adirondack region along Hwy 74, 28, and Big Moose Rd/#4. About all I know about these areas is what I see on Google maps. Are these areas friendly (motorists and wildlife)? Are the roads decent? Are there regular gas stations ect. along the way? Any alternate route suggestions?

I'll be carrying two water bottles and I'll have a little room for food so I usually have to stop every 25-50 miles or so. I'll be bivying but if there's any hostels along the way I'd do that (I doubt there will be and if the weather turns really bad I'll probably try to find a hotel or b&b).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.