Hello everyone! I am so glad I found this site. I LOVE road trips, having grown up in So. Cal in the 50's and 60's and the family vacation was a staple of my youth.
However, now I am a 57-year old married female (and live in So. Oregon) and have had some anxiety issues about driving (mainly congested Interstate freeways, long bridges over waterways, etc.) and I also just plain don't like to fly. Needless to say, these two issues have kept me from travelling as I would normally do.
I would love to go visit two of my three adult children in Texas next Spring. I would also like to take my 88 year old Dad along with me, who needs oxygen. He would pay for the trip, so the money is not a huge issue. But.....I would LOVE to find a leisurely route that doesn't include interstates in or around any major metro areas. I am fine on I-5, for example, when it's between Ashland, OR and Redding, CA. But -- I-5 through Seattle or Portland...forgetaboutit! (and I lived in Seattle for 25 years - that's where I had my first 'panic attack' - on the Evergreen Pt. Bridge).
Sorry to be long-winded - but I figure if I introduce myself and I am honest about my driving anxiety, then I'll get some practical answers. Driving through LA is out of the question (and I learned how to drive there - and I have driven all over the west coast numerous times in my old VW Bug, and all around Europe twice - when I was 19 years old!) --- But now, I have a real problem with traffic and congestion and 'no escape route'. If anyone else in this forum has suggestions how to get over this, I'd love some advice. Not being able to drive in metro areas has really hindered the quality of my life (not to mention that of my family). Any advice re: interesting routes to TX from So. OR or encouragement about driving anxiety would be appreciated.