Roadtrip Chicago To San Fransisco. Options

[FromDk]

Hi all.
I have read through the forum, and think you have a nice forum.
Me and one of my friends have planned a trip to the U.S. in April-May 2012th Therefore, I would hear what tips and tricks you have because we have never been to America before.

We must start in the city of Chicago and end in San Francisco. We have 19 days to ride in.
We are from Europe (Denmark), so it's exciting to travel to the U.S..

I have following questions which I hope some will answer:

Which route should we take? We would like to visit St. Louis, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, also running with Highway 1 to San Francisco.
Is there anything you should be aware of when you book places for your RV?
We have rented through Cruise America, it is a good company?
Can you sleep for free at Wall-Mart parking lots?

I very much hope that some will take the time to answer the above.

[Fitzjohnfan]

I read through the posts on this thread and looks like most of your questions have been answered. You mentioned that after driving for a long time you my stop at Walmart to rest. Seems like a good plan since they are easy to pull into late at night. Just look for other rv's and park in the same area. If you don't see any other rv's, there may be a rule (store or city regulated) against parking overnight and you will have to find someplace else.
You can also stay overnight in most rest areas, but you may have to park next to a semi+truck idling his diesel engine. You can also stay at flying-j truck stops, but park where other rv's are, not where the trucks are.

Check the previous post for links to other free places to stay.