I am jealous of your daughter and fiancee. It is a real treat to have the luxury of 10 days to drive across the US. Like Wilma in Kansas City, I have visited all 48 of the continental states, mostly on car trips. It it a wonderful country to see at ground level.

Since you said that they might like to follow old Route 66, I will offer some suggested stops along the way. Of course, Chicago, the eastern terminus of Route 66, is a fabulous place to visit and has been discussed often on TheTravelzine. If the weather is nice, the travellers should spend at least a day or two in Chicago. I give a big thumbs up to the boat tours along the Chicago River offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation - http://www.architecture.org/river.html

In St. Louis, I would stop to see the national Lewis and Clark Bicentennial exhibit that is on display at the Missouri Historical Society through Sept 6, 2004 - http://www.lewisandclarkexhibit.org/

Leaving St. Louis they would drive down through Oklahoma. Here is a web site with some detailed information about Route 66 in Oklahoma http://www.oklahomaroute66.com/ Among all of the potential places to stop, I would especially recommend Claremore to visit the Will Rogers Memorial(http://www.willrogers.com) and the National Cowboy and Heritage Western Museum in Oklahoma City (http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/).

I always tried to make up time on the drive from Oklahoma City west through the Texas Panhandle across New Mexico. You can set the cruise control and cover a lot of miles. I wanted to save time for the natural wonders in Arizona near interstate 40 - the Petrified Forest, Canyon de Chelly and Grand Canyon.

If they are looking for less expensive places to stay on their drive, they should use the AAA travel books. A membership in AAA can pay for itself many times over in hotel discounts on their drive. If they want places that are smaller and more eclectic, I have used this web site to find bed and breakfast spots on my travels - http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/0onsadex.htm

Best wishes to them for a fun and safe trip.

Mark Los Angeles