Originally Posted by: swright00... I am asking myself how long to stay on scales alone?[/quote]
There is no need to practice only scales. I suggest students should have a variety of things to practice in order to keep it fun and keep improving in a general overall manner.

As you mention being able to play chords you should give the Rock 1 or Blues 1 courses a try. But remember to keep up with your scale practice. Otherwise you are bound to hit a wall at some point.

In fact, I will use this post to make a point: there is no reason to ever stop practicing scales. Make them a regular part of your practice routine. Start now. Never stop. It will serve you well for as long as you play music.
[QUOTE=swright00]Safe to say that I should be learning the notes I am playnig when doing the scales?

Not necessarily. Learning the notes is a separate skill. If you do not already know the notes on the fretboard, then you need to make that a specific thing to practice. You can do it while you are practicing scale or even chords. You can incorporate it with other things, but do not cut the corner of explicitly making time to know the notes on the fretboard.

I know lots of players that can play the scale patterns well and can get around "by ear" or by their previous knowledge of what part of the scale works over what chord. But they are lost when it comes to identifying the notes at will. And this winds up being a handicap in certain situations.

So, make time to learn them. That will also serve you well in the future. :)