Myself and 2 other mates from University have just booked flights into New York on the 6th September and out of San Francisco on the 3rd October. Our plan is to pick up a car (not sure whether to rent or buy) and then proceed to drive across the US having as many adventures and good times as possible.
We have a provisional route of,
new york
philadelphia
pittsburgh
cleveland
chicago
st louis
kansas city
wichita
oklahoma city
amarillo
albuquerque
flagstaff
grand canyon
death valley
las vegas
mojave desert
santa barbara
santa cruz
san francisco

Do any of you guys reckon this is doable, and is there any advice you can offer such as places to stay/visit, advice aboutpicking up a car, money, that sort of thing. Any help would be appreciated.
Tom