Hi everyone, I've been spending lots of time on this site the past couple weeks. Really great community and info here! I'm planning a one-week drive with my wife at the end of this month to bring a car from Sacramento to Philadelphia, and could use some feedback on our route so far. This is the first major road trip for both of us.

We have 7 or 8 full days to do the trip and will be leaving from Roseville on a Friday or Saturday. So that's not much time to veer off for spontaneous adventures, which we're okay with. As long as we get to pass through the country, make a few fun stops here and there, we're good. We are also taking slight detours through Missouri and North Carolina to visit some friends.

Here's the current plan:
Day 1: Roseville, CA >> Salt Lake City via I-80
Day 2: Salt Lake City >> Denver via I-70
Day 3: Denver >> Somewhere in Kansas via I-70
Day 4: Kansas >> Cape Girardeau, MO (south of St. Louis)
Day 5-6: Cape Girardeau >> Nashville >> Charlotte, NC
Day 7: Charlotte >> Philadelphia.
(which leaves one day for adjusting things around)

Questions:
  1. Is Roseville to SLC doable in a day? Advisable? I've done 6hr SF to LA drives several times, but I think this is something like twice as long. Any recommendations on places to stop in between?
  2. Most of the travel distances come in at 500-600 miles per day. Is that a good breakdown or will it be too much after a few days?
  3. Any recommendations for good towns to stay in along the way around Denver and Kansas? Our ideal would be rooms under $100 with an explorable town to walk through at night. But we're willing to spend more to stay in a nicer town.




Thanks!