This is really a personal choice, you need to decide about how many miles (and hours) you are willing to drive in a day, and make allowances for stops and side trips (if any). One thing that I always used to do is miscalculate miles and time; depending on our route and highways(freeways) vs. byways (two laners) we usually are able to maintain 70-75 an hour on the open highway, but only 50 - 65 when that freeway passes through a town. If that freeway ends and turns into a byway, we average 30-40 MPH until it becomes a freeway again. If we opt to follow two lane scenic byways rather than freeways, we average 40-50 MPH except when they pass through towns, then of course you slow down (or get a ticket). We almost always follow scenic byways so we are always getting to places slowly.

All in all, given the fact that in America there are always a lot of towns, I've calculated our average overall speed on freeways to be around 60 MPH, and on scenic byways we average about 40 MPH. Try using those figures to calculate your time/miles driving per day. It would take me at least three weeks (if i hurried) to cross America from coast to coast, but I wouldn't hardly get to see anything! I've never driven further east then Lincoln, Nebraska (from Los Angeles) but long ago my I drove there with my brother in two long grueling days without any stops and only 1 night in a hotel (in Utah).

Have a nice trip,

Amelia in Chatsworth