Return trip from Redwood City, CA back home to Port Neches, Texas

[moonlightflower]

My husband will be participating in the National Senior Games so our vacation will be on our trip back from Redwood City, near San Francisco, California. I can't even be anywhere near the course to take pictures. Bummer.

We are seniors (He will soon be 72 and I am 68 1/2), married 3 years come June 3rd.

I have been to San Francisco but my husband has not. He is excited, I am NOT. There is no interest in Fisherman's Wharf. My husband wants to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Ho hum....

There is a common interest in the Arts, the Zoo, Museums, Nature (Dolphins), and Music. Personally, I want to go to Room 105 at the Landmark in Los Angeles where Janis Joplin died (I went to school with her and she graduated with my brother-read about her in my website). I want to see what vibes I pick up on. I'm a sensitive and so is my dog. Don't laugh.... there's a story about her regarding her senses. If she is shy to enter the room, that will be important to document.

We need interesting places to see on our ROUTE BACK between California and Texas. I've NO interest in Las Vegas. A major issue is the summer heat in Arizona in August. High heat affects my seizure disorder. I ride a motorized scooter and have a small service dog and therefore require ADA accessible places.

A kicker is, our house may be sold by then. We live in southeast Texas on the coast, east of Houston, and plan to move to east Texas, east of Dallas and west of Shreveport, LA. IF our house is sold, the trip will be from east of Dallas. If not then it will be from east of Houston. However, our site seeing and vacation will be on our way home. We have to get to the National Senior Games with no delays. We need assistance with plans for the trip back. THANKS!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forums!

Actually, your return route home will be exactly the same through California, Arizona and New Mexico regardless of whether you are going to Dallas or Houston. You won't have to diverge until you get to the I-10/I-20 junction in west Texas. So what to see up until that point. I'd strongly recommend the Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) south from San Francisco through Monterey and Carmel. There are great docent led 'walking' tours of the historical sites in Monterey that as I recall should be ADA accessible, and 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach is worth the price of admission. Then the pullouts along the highway that overlook the elephant seal and sea lion rookeries should be fine as well. Hearst Castle offers special tours for the physically challenged and allows guide/service dogs, but you should contact them ahead of time to discuss your own needs. You would then either skirt the northern edge of the Los Angeles area or visit some of its museums and concert halls, eventually heading east on I-10.

In my neck of the woods, Tucson AZ, I think you'd enjoy the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (more of an outdoor zoo and botanical garden than a traditional museum) and Kartchner Caverns, both of which are wheelchair accessible.

If you end up heading for Dallas, then you might want to consider a detour up through Roswell, NM, but in any event, I suspect that you know more about Texas than I do.

AZBuck

[moonlightflower]

Wow! That was a quick response. Thank you so much. I will pass this along to my husband. He is back home tending to hurricane Ike repairs. I am in Tyler. I have lived all over Texas with most of the Texas years in the Fort Worth area. We won't be siteseeing on the way because of the need to get to our destination without delays for the National Senior Games. Our vacation time will be after the events. I use a motorized scooter. Mahalo and a Texas thanks. (Well I miss living in Hawaii.)