I'm hoping to spend 3 weeks this July traveling around out West. I haven't had much time to plan so far, but I definitely want to see the Grand Canyon and Seattle -- so I'm looking for a good route between these two places that will hit spots of interest and give me a diverse sense of the west.
I also have to rent a car (I'm located in Boston), and am planning to fly somewhere near either of those starting points -- would you recommend dropping off the car, or driving in a full circle back to where I've picked it up (it seems that some companies have high fees for dropping a car where it wasn't picked up)? And if the full-circle method is preferred, where are suggested starting points that might tie this trip together? Also -- what points of interest are must sees in this area? I'm more or less unfamiliar with the west coast (aside form a brief visit to LA and San Fran in the past) and am hoping to make the most of my time (and money... which is somewhat limited).
Any suggestions from veteran road-trippers or Westerners are much obliged!