Driving Angeles to St. Louis and back

[bcala]

We are planning to visit family and friends in St. Louis, Tulsa and Nebraska and and will travel mostly on Highways 70 and 40. My husband has a torn tendon and has been told to stay off his feet except for short strolls, so I am looking for things to see along the way that don't involve much walking. Interesting scenery, architecture and history are more important to us than shopping or eating for this trip. Would appreciate any suggestions.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Maybe surprisingly, some of the best sites and sights in America are easily accessible. The Rim Road at the Grand Canyon will bring you within feet of some of the most magnificent views on the planet. Petrified Forest Road will bring you to several short walks past ancient trees that have turned into rocks, In fact most national parks make an effort to make their signature attractions accessible to old, young, mobile and handicapped alike. I am coming to very much appreciate the first and last on that list myself. Visitors Centers offer interpretive exhibits as well as rest rooms and ticket sales. Use them.

Another option is at the other end of the attraction scale. While your husband may not be up to a complete walking tour of a large battlefield or an architectural walking tour of downtown St. Louis, there are plenty of smaller museums, historic homes, and the like all along your trip. One particular stretch that could prove interesting is crossing southern Nebraska on I-80. This route (and US-30 which parallels it) runs along the Platte River and follows the old Oregon Trail, There are several unique rock formations that served as landmarks, old cavalry forts, pony express stations, etc. And keep in mind that almost everybody who made that pioneering journey did so on foot. Nobody wasted several hundred pounds of precious cargo carrying capacity in their wagon on something as 'worthless' as women and children, no matter what the movies show.

AZBuck

[Lifemagician]

For starters, there is I-70 through Utah, which is just spectacular. And you don't even have to get out of the car to appreciate the scenery. Just pull into the view points. I have only experienced it from East to West, so am not sure if it is the same the other way.

Lifey

[bcala]

Thanks, both of you for the replies. AZBuck, I didn't know that about pioneers walking, but now that you mention it, it totally makes sense. My husband mentioned I-80 as an option, but I haven't checked it out yet. Neither of us have been to the Grand canyon for decades, and I don't remember ever having visited the Petrified Forest. Lifemagician, we visited Bryce Canyon and Zion several years ago and loved all of the scenery along the way. Would like to visit Arches on this trip, but need to find out how much walking is involved.

[glc]

You can see a lot of Arches with minimum walking. The roads through the park have a lot of scenic pullouts. You can download park maps for every national park at the nps.gov site.

On your way from the GC to Arches, you can go through Monument Valley and take a Jeep tour. If you have a suitable vehicle you can drive yourself - 4wd is not needed but the road is unpaved and very rough.

[bcala]

That's good to know about Arches. Thanks.
I looked up Monument Valley and a jeep tour or drive through there would be great. If we do that, we would miss the I-70 through Utah. Not sure which way would be best.

[glc]

You could go from Monument Valley back to I-40, and do Arches and I-70 on the return trip - or vice versa.

[RoadDog]

Those cities are also on Route 66, the Mother Road. A trip back into an era past.

On I-40, from OKC to LA, you're right by 66.

Get off and drive some of it, but be careful, you may not want to get back on the interstate.

[bcala]

Thanks, glc & RoadDog. Any suggestions on whereto get off 40 to explore?

[glc]

The longest stretch of old Route 66 that still exists is between Kingman and Seligman AZ.

What I like to do between LA and Kingman is this - take I-10 to past Indio and go through Joshua Tree. Head into 29 Palms and take Amboy Road to Amboy, then old 66 east to I-40. Immediately after crossing into AZ, get off at Topock and take old 66 into Oatman. Then you can cross Sitgreaves Pass and head into Kingman.