DC to LA, 7 days, 3 22 y/o's

[swimmernoah]

Hey RTA,

I just took a job in LA and will need to move my stuff from Washington DC to LA. 2 of my friends have agreed to make the drive with me (the three of us have traveled the east coast together on various road trips). We'd like to leave the morning of May 17th and get to LA by May 23rd.

We'd like to stay in cheap hotels and would be open to camping if the weather permits. The cities/things we definitely want to hit are Vegas, Denver, Zion or Joshua Tree, and the Grand Canyons. We'll get our 'partying/drinking' done in Vegas so we'd just like to get their in a cost efficient manor (and see some cool sites on the way).

Would someone mind posting a day by day break down of what cities (or spots) we should aim to be in each night? Considering the places we want to go to is that a realistic time frame?

Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.