Hey drivers, taking my grandmother to San Fran - lil help?!?
 

Howdy do drivers. Im taking my elderly grandmother to San Francisco for Christmas. Its going to be a wonderful journey and we will be able to at long last distribute my grandfathers ashes. But my trouble is this: which route is best??
I am leaving from Los Angeles on either the afternoon of Christmas Eve or perhaps a bit earlier to avoid traffic. I want to get there in time to watch the sunset over the bay (oh baby I can cruise!). The 5 was a route suggested by a seemingly decent chap I met recently but I really dont know him that well and Im just not sure its safe (with an 82 year old female in the car and considering all the carjackings these days Im VERY concerned). A close (and TRUSTED!) family friend then suggested the 101 as a much more scenic route that would be free of criminal elements, get us there on time and provide delightful views the ENTIRE way. But my concern with this is that my grandmother gets frightfully car sick (don't even ask about our post thanksgiving meal journey from Encino to Six Flags - thats not gravy!). I know that her condition can be mitigated with sedatives/sleeping pills, but then she wouldn't enjoy the scenery.
So heres my question: Take the 5 to San Fran and risk something terrible happening at the hands of car jackers, OR: take the 101 and risk staining the seats of my brand new PT Cruiser with you know what (urgle gurgle). Can I combine the two somehow to beat the odds? Scenic + vomit VS fast + criminal element exposure.

Lil Help from all you fellow drivers? Pls advise....

Cheerio

"RGD"
Really Great Driver

Easy answer, Get some bonine.

Fly

Carjackings on I-5 in the central valley??? I have never heard of them. I have driven the route many, many times. Maybe I'm driving too fast to be pulled over. Either that or you are pulling our legs. I-5 is faster, 101 is more scenic but takes longer. If Grandma really gets carsick that bad, Bonine is great. Even if it makes her a bit sleepy, she will not miss anything on I-5.

This is totally a troll. Posted a few months ago and the threads were nuked. Mostly bragging about his driving ability then asking a weird question . . .

Car jackings - on I-5???? Now, just how is a car jacket supposed to stop you at 75+mph on I-5?

Lots of trolls lately. Lets see if this one starts talking to himself with different screen names...

Ok I really appreciate everyone trying to help. Im not sure what Bonine is but someone told me its the "date rape" drug which I certainly dont want to use on my grandmother. If thats what your suggesting as a good time Im truly horrified.
As far as flying goes, I think its a reasonable option sometimes but with the way pilots drive (rough landings and jerking to a stop at the jetway) Ive found it adds more aggravation than it alleviates.
Ive been told by many professional truck drivers the carjackings are indeed very common on the 5, ESPECIALLY around Christmas time. Can anyone tell me if they have had enjoyable experiences on the 5 at Christmas time? Have you run into any nefarious derelicts there upon? I once heard about a time there was a porty gentleman wearing only the top part of the Santa suit on the side of the 5 and yep, you guessed it, COMPLETELY NUDE down below. Certainly not the sort of trip my grandmother or I am looking for.
Perhaps there is an alternate route to both of these?

Best

RGD

Well I certainly dont want to pay any tolls. As far as I know its a toll free journey, unless you know something new. I share your concerns though and probably like paying tolls as much as you do. NOT! Ha! A little holiday humor there. Hopefully a route will become more obvious with some serious map time in el basement tonight...

Thanks for the help

RGD

Insert eye roll

Troll. This is probably that same great driver from Pismo.

Hey Im not sure if you are calling ME a troll or are making the absurd suggestion that there are either trolls on the 101 or even possibly tolls. either way I would appreciate some real advice instead of the accusations or fantasy oriented suggestions that trolls even exist....

sidenote: trolls were actually creatures who lived in the 1200's in Eastern Europe. however they weren't the fantasy creatures of fairy tales but actually poverty stricken individuals forced to live under bridges, or in forests. commonly due to malnutrition they were slight in size and unkempt. thus..."trolls".

I have heard of some car jackings on the I-5, but if avoid rest stops and such I think you will be okay. I used to drive up to San Fran with my grandma all the time and she also would get car sick. She's dead now so I don't have that problem anymore. No tolls on either route.

psup: Good that you registered to support your friend reallygreatdriver. Neither of you sound old enough to have a drivers license . . .

Why did you take you grandman to Six Flags?

Oh geez. what a _______.

Hey everybody guess what? Problem solved! We decided to sprinkle my grandfathers ashes at Six Flags (def gonna request the back seat in the last car of the coaster out of respect for others so dont worry). So no trip up north. Problem solved. Sorry for any disrupted feelings or wasted time. Does anyone know if Six Flags is even open Christmas Eve? Might have to change it to another day I suppose....

Cheerio

RGD

Yes they are open- but sprinkling grandma off the roller coaster would DEFINITELY be against the rules - what about all those little children getting dusted down below???

Jeeze Louise . . . .

Stick to your plan to go north on I-5. They have special barf stations about every 20 miles, so no problem for your granny if she gets sick!

Good point about ashes at Six Flags, but really I would hope everyone would respect our privacy. Its really not safe to have children under roller coasters anyway so I think we are in the clear. Going to be quite a ride grandad....