traveling, if you are considering doing Gardyloo's loops or something similar, keep in mind that the loop could be done in either direction and starting/ending from any of the major cities. Strangely, sometimes there is a difference of several hundred dollars in airfare for cities that aren't that far apart and sometimes flying to a more distant city is less than to the closer one. Car rental rates vary widely from city to city too, so be sure to check on that when you do the cost calculation.

I love this adventure and just have to add more opinions,hopefully they will be helpful. My husband and I like to explore and travel fairly quickly too.
Calif: Spend the night you land in LA, maybe explore and 1 more night to rest up and then head N. I don't find anything special about LA so would head N pretty quickly, and the drive up HWY 1 through Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Monterrey to San Francisco is breathtaking. Maybe spend a night along the coast before you get into the city-you wont' need your car to bounce around there so find an easy place to park it.

1 night in Vegas is plenty, I'd avoid it but you have it as a must do so totally check it out. Add a night in Zion in Springdale right by the park and hike. 1 nt Bryce is good.

Don't know about Roswell but skip Houston. I grew up there and NASA isn't what it used to be and TX is such a long dry hard drive to get across. If you need a stop on your way to NOLA, hit Fort Worth TX near Dallas. Great cow town and downtown and really fun.

AVery Island was cool, Baton Rouge if you want to see the LSU campus, otehrwise skip it. NOLA-this will show you soul, of which Vegas has none. :) Great food, people, music. Spend time here.

Stop in Nashville TN for a night on your way N. I'd probably head E at this pt to catch DC (2 nights) and then head through PA to Niagara. I have family in Buffalo now and finally saw Niagara. Had to see it, looked at it for a few minutes, then moved on. WOuld you consider skipping this? I am really not cynical, but think your time exploring DC/Philly/NY would be much more fun. You can also train affordably around those 3 cities and ditch the car.

I'd love to get you to add my favorite city Chicago but think you'll get a good fix of the good ole USA with SF, NOLA, DC and NY plus those smaller places.

Do let us know what you decide and what you think afterwards. Congrats and have a wonderful time!!

I just happened over your note that you have your tent. Getting space in national parks can be iffy, and I hope you can, but don't overlook the possibility of just stopping at a KOA if push comes to shove.

eroz, thanks so much for you comment! we'll definitely use your tips.
The only reason we wanted to travel through Texas was NASA's space centre, so maybe we will re-think that part? I saw there is another visitor centre in Alabama which is on our way east from NOLA, maybe we should just hit that one instead?

About Baton Rouge, we added it because we would like to see places/museums about the civil war, do you have any recommendations that will be on our way?

We really don't want to miss Niagara falls, it's one of our dreams to take the maid of the mist boat tour...
We will definitely use your tip about losing the car once we get to DC.
Thanks again for your amazing input :)

Gretchen,thanks for letting us know about the space issues, could you please elaborate what could be the problem reserving space?

National parks are VERY crowded and it's often necessary to reserve lodging (hotels, cottages or space in campgrounds) a year or more in advance. You can't just turn up and expect to find a spot in a campground anywhere never mind a national park.

As for Niagara Falls, you are cutting it kind of close - since I believe that Maid of the Mist stops operation for the season in Oct - but probably later in the month (Niagara Falls is far north and in the snow belt - and it's likely to be cold, esp at night). (Looks like this year is a late start - May 15 - due to the bad winter.)

We did a tour of the west last summer in 3 weeks which included Glacier National Park, Mt. Rainier, Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon Coast, Yosemite and Colorado. Although it was a great trip and we saw a lot of spectacular scenery and did some great hiking, it was a LOT of time in the car. But it can be done!

This site is a great reference for a lot of the national parks and states out west, especially if you like to hike.

http://discoverthewest.blogspot.com/

<i>The only reason we wanted to travel through Texas was NASA's space centre, so maybe we will re-think that part? I saw there is another visitor centre in Alabama which is on our way east from NOLA, maybe we should just hit that one instead?...About Baton Rouge, we added it because we would like to see places/museums about the civil war, do you have any recommendations that will be on our way?</i>

You could do a trip from NOLA up the Mississippi through Natchez and Vicksburg (the site of one of the biggest Civil War sieges, and a memorable historic monument) then through the Mississippi Delta to Clarksdale (Delta Blues Museum) and Memphis, then across to Huntsville and the NASA Rocket Center, ending in Atlanta (or looping back to New Orleans via Alabama and Mississippi.) Something like this - http://goo.gl/maps/ojcQw

Or, frankly, fly from NOLA to Orlando (probably cheaper than driving - around $120 per person) and visit Cape Canaveral, which is extremely interesting and worthwhile. Then collect a car and head north through Savannah and Charleston, both beautiful and historic cities; Charleston of course is where the Civil War started. http://goo.gl/maps/Lsxl3

Again, you could continue north from Charleston all the way to Washington DC, and do the Pennsylvania/Niagara loop starting there.

I really like Gardyloo's NOLA > fly to Orlando > Cape Canaveral > up the southeast coast idea. That ticks a lot of great boxes.