Have a great trip friend!
In my 3x cross country trips, I took the same route: VA to KY to TX to So Cal then to WA. It was UBER boring, so by all means stick to 80 West. You get to see South Cleveland, Shy Town, Des Moines and Omaha.
I'm up here in Fargo, and I'll tell ya, the Northern Plains just dont have that much to offer past Lincoln, Nebraska. If you're looking for more grasslands, we've got what you need.
But if desert is more your style (mine personally), take 81 South to Knoxville, then to Nashville and through Little Rock and I-40 onward to Dallas. You can see alot of old school broke down cars in people's yards, ranches, "world's biggest" things, etc.
