Travel is about 4.5 days coast to coast...longer if you stop and want to visit here and there enroute. If you drive back, you’ll find travel easier once you cross the Mississippi. Trick is to get on the road as day is breaking at the first gray light of day, and off the road by mid afternoon....stay away from big cities, but regardless, stay on the far side of towns, cities and such, so traffic is coming at you and not with you during rush hour. Usually, I take back roads as much as possible...it will add 40 to 50 minutes to your day, but you won’t have the crazy traffic to contend with. Using this method I have actually stopped on a bridge walked about taking pictures and got back in the car or on the motorcycle and didn’t see another vehicle before, during, or after stopping. Use patience and caution. If you travel solely by back roads you might want to have snack food and water along...sometimes out west it’s a long way to a pit stop, so keep that in mind when planning a route for gasoline and food...there are usually old highways to take that will intersect with interstate highways and it’s wise to get off and on for gas and food and bathroom breaks...especially out west.