It's not a bad idea. I'm not sure what Brit will say, tho. We could do it on the way back...but going on the way out we know the route, know the rest stops and the towns. Until we know what our child is like in the car, I'm reluctant to get too ambitious.

Is SD like NE and IA? In those states, we found the rest stops to be every half hour (35-40 miles) or so (which IIRC is required in order for it to be designated an interstate), and lots of small towns which had fast food or other diners, drive-ins or dives where one could eat. Traveling with a 10-week old will necessitate being able to stop somewhere comfortable relatively frequently to feed and change him. What was your impression of I-90, keeping this in mind?

To my knowledge, I90 in south dakota is actually more visitor-friendly than I80, which is not often regarded as a touristy route. The only truly desolate interstates I know of are in the southwest, where you see the "200 miles to the next rest stop" signs. The great planes are actually fairly populated, comparatively, with the agriculture and all.

I have not driven past central Iowa on I80 though so I don't have a good comparison. Nebraska is still one of the few states I have yet to visit.