Cali, Nevada and Arizona
 

Hi - 5 of us coming over mid October 2012 ... heading from LA up to Death Valley, Vegas and then Grand Canyon before down into Arizona ..
Any recommendations on places to visit and stay (cheap but good motels .. Motel 6 ?) appreciated !!

Particularly any events, festivals etc. going on in that time ...

Motel 6
 

I did a cross-country ride (27 days) and stayed at motel 6 almost every night, with only a few exceptions. Most are ok, but they charge for wi-fi and for the room price + wi-fi, you can often stay in the motel next door and get a better room, wi-fi and more space. ymmv. In all the ones I stayed at only one was creepy (Florida!). They tend to be farther away from restaurants too. That said, I used them a lot because that are easy to find, have a paper directory with maps to each one, making last- minute route changes easy.