Observation

I didn't say [flight following] was a panacea

No, but you did say:
No IFR
traffic could possibly be as low as I was, and I thought that as long as
ATC was getting my return, I should get a heads up on any other aircraft
in the vicinity.

which I think puts more on them than is warranted. I do however agree
FF is a good idea, especially in this case. How low were you? You make
it sound like dicey scud-running, but you'd have to be at a radar
altitude to even get FF.

But given the
weather and the (to me) featureless terrain, pilotage would have been
extremely difficult. I couldn't fly straight long enough
[presumably because of dodging weather] to make any
attempt at ded reckoning.

Yep. This is where GPS shines. I recently did something similar,
though on top rather than underneath, dodging thunderstorms, and getting
FF to help with weather info and to be in contact when would finally
need an instrument approach. Going VFR allowed me a more direct route,
a simpler flight in weather, and let me skip a gas stop.

Jose
--
"Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where
it keeps its brain."
(chapter 10 of book 3 - Harry Potter).
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