Hate to be the newbie with ambitious plans, but here I am.

I am new to RTA and have been looking around a bit. I was hoping to get some advice as to where are some nice camping spots en-route to to NYC. We are thinking of taking at most a month driving through the northern states via the route suggested by google maps, and then heading south and driving back passing the southern states, Texas, then hit the Grand Canyon and maybe even the Hoover Dam before heading home to Oakland. It would be nice to find camping spots on the way back as well, but we are still in the planning stages. We are expecting to spend about 3,000 and make this an adventurous and bonding experience for me and my wife.