I am based out of Amherst, MA and will be interning in Mountain View, CA over the summer. I was planning to drive to California and back, which gives me the opportunity to see quite a few places. Details below:

Onward - MA to CA: This happens during the second week of June. I am a little time bound on this journey and am constrained with the stops that I am making. I would need some help taking the best routes though. I have six days to make it from MA to CA and my stops are going to be Philadelphia, Kansas City, MO and Chandler AZ. I have friends and family that I need to visit and hence these stops. I would love to know what are the best routes to take between these places. I don't have a problem driving long hours, my longest being 17 hours. This isn't my first time doing long drives, so anything goes.

Return - CA to MA: I am really not time bound here and can take any route. I am returning mid-September, and considering my stops are going to take me through a southern route while going, I thought maybe I could do a long northern drive on the way back. The only place where I MAY consider making a stop is in Chicago and that is not a constraint.

Please do pitch in with all your suggestions and ideas. I would love to make this an awesome road trip both ways.

P.S : I have already done a SFO-Boston drive and seen the Grand Canyon and done the Big Sur drive. I would love this drive to be more scenic than the last one, so hoping I can take a few byways and back roads.