Thank you so much for your advice! I was really beginning to feel like I was trying to reinvent the wheel with our trip home. I'm not sure why I was putting so much pressure on myself lol! I will be mapping our trip home along your advised route's and looking into the additional sites AZBuck recommended. Abraham Lincoln sites would be a notable hit with my son. Ever since studying him in school and our trip to DC he has been very intrigued. I just purchased Rinker Buck's novel The Oregon Trail so taking a look at that would be fun. Midwest Michael, you hit the nail on the head for me! I was wondering if it would be better to alternate between 70 and 50 for the sake of time. I think I may do that, especially through the states you mentioned. I like to reserve lodging in advance so I never get myself stuck where I am too tired to drive and everything is full. So I will check out the state parks along the way and make reservations.
Thank you again so very much! This is the largest trip I have planned to date. What a pleasant surprise it was to find this site a few days ago! I have been reading forums and digesting lots of information. Grateful to find this resource and sharing community.