If we all agree to stay consistent with prior years, your best bet is to take the 17th through the 22nd off.
That's Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon.
Mike and I typically head out Thursday morning at 2 am, roughly, and meet people along the way, so your meet up time will vary depending where you're located along the route.
We take Wednesday off from work to allow for time to prep the car and go to bed early.
The trip home takes place early on Monday, departure time similar to the trip out.