Road trip!!
 

In April I am taking a week off from work and driving out to Denver to see friends and family who have relocated westward. My plan is to leave Saturday morning and get back at a reasonable time on Sunday for work the next day so I'll have almost 9 days for the trip. My plan is to see as much of the country as possible so I want to make a loop by using a northern and southern route to and from Denver. I'm looking for some advice on things to see and places to visit. Currently all I have thought of for the southern route is the tail of the dragon and Cadillac ranch, maybe sand dune national park in CO. for the north I'm thinking badlands national park and Mount Rushmore. Other than those I need ideas. I guess Chicago and Kansas City should be on the list too but on a "need to get there and back fast" road trip I'm not sure what I would do with a city other than drive through it.

All ideas are welcome :)

As long as you're stopping at Rushmore, drive a few miles south and see the Crazy Horse memorial too. It already dwarfs Rushmore, and the visitor center is more elaborate.

Wall Drug, while kitschy, is good for a rest stop.

The first time I drove through Chicago, headed east to New York, I didn't stop but still got stuck in a traffic jam at 9pm. If you stop there, there's no shortage of things to do--lakeshore, Navy Pier, fantastic restaurants (Heaven on Seven: best pecan pie I have ever tasted), aquarium, museums (Museum of Science and Industry, on the World's Fair grounds, is my favorite), skyscrapers. Willis Tower installed glass-floored balconies on the 103rd floor a few years ago.

I'll have to add crazy horse to the list I think I'm going to try and add Pikes Peak to the list as well as its pretty close to Denver. Trouble I'm having is that other than western South Dakota there doesn't seem to be many spots to pop in real quick for a pic between the east coast and the Dakotas.

We did a trip similar a couple of years ago and found Nebraska interesting as we passed through; almost like a step back in time as we traversed southeast to northwest.
Personally I'd skip chicago and stop in St. Louis--gateway to the west and all that. And if you follow I-64/70 you could stop off in Kentucky bourbon country if that sort of thing interests you.

I thought Devil's Tower was pretty cool when I made a trip to Yellowstone. There isn't a ton there but is a cool rock formation.

The Corn Palace is neat. Pikes peak is near Colorado Springs (iirc) where the Air Force Academy is. Grand Canyon? The Great Lakes? Glacier National Park? St. Louis Arch?
New Orleans? Alamo? US/Mexico border? Red Rocks outside Denver? Mt. Evans near Denver? Central City near Denver? Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park near Denver? 4 Corners where Colo, Utah, N.Mex., and Ariz all meet?

The Flight 93 memorial in western PA and Gettysburg battlefield are both interesting places to visit. Gettysburg takes some time if you want to see the whole thing, though.

Pikes Peak CO. You will remember it forever!