Ultimate Road Trip

Even though I STILL don't have my assignment (it's been a WHOLE WEEK), I did spend some time this past weekend thinking about how I will spend my home leave.  I may have mentioned before that I plan to take an awesome road trip around America.  During this trip, I have several goals:

• Get from Phoenix (home leave spot) to DC for training.
• Visit as many of the states I have never been too, specifically Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
• This will cut in half the remaining states until I hit all 50 (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Mississippi, and Alaska remain).
• Visit as many family and friends who live on/near the route - including seeing the new kids of two of my cousins.
• See as much of "Americana" as I can in a month, including Alcatraz and Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, Starbucks and Pike Place in Seattle, the majestic Rockies, Mt. Rushmore, the Mall of America, Lake Michigan, the rust belt in Detroit and/or Cleveland, and even Niagara Falls.  Plus, all the small towns of America in between.
• Catch as many baseball games as I can in as many ballparks as I can.

As you can see below, the itinerary starts in Phoenix, down to San Diego, up the coast of Cali, and on to Portland and Seattle.  Then, I start across America with a few big driving days to Mt. Rushmore.  The current route skips past North Dakota, but takes me up to Minnesota, down through Wisconsin and into Chicago.  From Chicago to Detroit, then up through Canada (I've never been) and over to Buffalo and Niagara Falls.  Finally, down to DC

If anyone has suggestions for places to see, stay, eat, etc that is on or near the route, leave a comment.  Much of this trip is to places I have never been to.  I currently plan it for about 3 weeks, but may lengthen/shorten it depending on how much home leave I get.