I dont even know how to plan a cross country trip LOL

Do you want to see something along the way or do you just want to drive and see it all go by through the car windows? You have to decide how far you can drive each day and if there are places at those points that you would like to visit some attraction. There are plenty of online mapping sites - google maps for one that will give you distances from one point to another and how long it takes to get there. You can start planning that way. Here is a link to a site that will put the map together with all of the campgrounds in an area including parks and private campgrounds.

http://www.epgsoft.com/CampgroundMap/

Put in a location and zoom in to see all of the campgrounds in the area with links to both the campground site and rvreviews. Move around the map to see what is there if you go a little further or not as far.

Three weeks total to CA and back to Ohio is fine if all you want to do is drive to CA and then turn around and come back unless you don't mind hard driving long hours each day and likely to do this you will have to take the same route there and back without varying the return trip to see more.

If I were you I would start plotting a route and campground stops right now because you may need most of the time to put this together between now and when you have to put in your vacation request.

I like to see people take these trips, but I do know that three weeks is not very long. We use to take our daughter to Arkansas for collage and it took a long four days each way. Each day was a rush to get to the next stop, usually about twelve hours. I was always exhausted when we arrived back home and was glad to get back to work for a vacation.

Earlier this we took a three month trip cross country (West coast to East coast)there still was not enough time but we only did two hundred miles a day. What a big difference. Very relaxing and was able to enjoy the trip.

I too do not like making reservations, When I have planned a trip stop, something always comes up and I am not able to keep it. I just like to take my chances, so far I have always been able to get a site to stay for the night. JMT

Might I suggest joining GoodSam and using their "Trip Planning" program. It breaks down routes, gas stations, rest breaks, miles per day, etc etc. It's a pretty valuable tool when you need to plan a trip or get an idea of how far you can drive in a day, etc.

WoodGlue

Go west young man..........then go east.

Wing it. It's not as if you are going on safari in the bush.

Don't over think it. Don't analysis it into paralysis.
Relax.....take a deep breathe.
It's a vacation not a trip to survivor island.

My 2 cents which is worth a lot less.

How many days do you want to stay in that area.

Three weeks from Columbus, Ohio to the Santa Barbara, CA area and back is at least 8 days driving - long and hard. Closer to 10 or 12 pulling an RV. 4,680 miles down I-45 from St Louis and I-40 from OKC to Barstow, CA, over the pass and along the coast.

Most folks can do 500 miles a day in a car with no problem, sometimes 600. 400-500 is a long hard day in an RV, especially if you are not used to it, or plan to drive daily. An hour for setup, an hour for take down in the morning.

Will you be doing all the driving or will the wife be comfortable driving the rig? After four days, you are going to be dead tired.

You are also going to want to run in the 55-65 mph range. Going to 75 will increase your fuel usage as much as 25%.

I use Microsoft Streets & Trips to plan general routes.

Going to Yellowstone and staying four days, then to CA and stay four days, and back to Ohio is near 5,200 miles. At least $1,700 in fuel at $3.50 per gallon if you can get 11 mpg on the highway. It leaves you four days leeway in-case something looks interesting, or there are problems, or you just need an extra day of rest.

That said - don't let it put you off completely. I would suggest your first big adventure run no farther than Yellowstone and back. Save the CA trip for another year - or vice versa.

Three weeks seems like a long trip, but you will be amazed how quickly the time can pass.

I plan my trips for 350-400 miles per day max. I also plan a two or three day stop every week, usually more often.

We are going to Hartford CT from Dallas in June - we will stop at a COE park for one night in Arkansas - a COE park for two nights near Nashville - a COE park in Pennsylvania for one night - and my brother-in-laws home for a week outside Hartford.

Reservations - In California near Goleta and / or Yellowstone - make your choices soon, and make the reservations soon.

I would ask in the Campgrounds section for info for parks in both areas.

Another good resource is http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ with the understanding that complainers post more than people happy with the parks.