This is really cool. I'm excited to follow the news and progress on this. I perused your website but didn't see where your stops in the USA were.
My 2 cents --> Avoid these locations: Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia. You already mentioned avoiding Libya & Syria. I would be really careful in this region in general. Of course this is coming from someone who's dad was stuck in Iran back in 1979. Be SUPER careful. I guess the larger your entourage is, the better off you'll be. Still though, I'd be looking for alternate routes.