The Plan

Not wanting to plan to the point of inflexibility, I have a few basic guidelines that I am following:
My route will start out from my home in Tampa Bay, and from there, I will head to the Florida Panhandle, which is the one area of Florida I haven't seen much of.  I will head west, across the southern states, all the way to California, likely crossing the border by foot to visit Mexico.  From there, I will travel north along the coast to Washington State, taking the ferry to Juneau, then Haines, and Driving through Alaska, and back through Canada.  Then I will continue across the northern states, including places like Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, and on to visit my friend in Minnesota.  After a visit there, I plan to continue on to the Northeast, including an excursion back into Canada around Niagra Falls and visiting a number of historical sites, including D.C., then heading southward, back to Florida, visiting additional sites of interest along the way.