Dec 1 trip Bend, OR to Chicago Advice

[tjdonahoe]

Driven them all, if it were me I90, watch the weather, I80 in winter is a lot rougher, , so far we haven't had any winter here in Billings, go for it, if it gets bad ,park it..

[DonDiego]

Mike, thanks and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and Dana.

[Len n Jeanne]

One thing you might do is look for lower elevation alternatives to the passes. We recently decided to give Lookout Pass on I-90 a miss, and take the lower and scenic HY 200 between Missoula and Sandpoint, ID.

I-80 in Wyoming can be brutal if you get ground blizzard conditions. It can be clear and sunny overhead, but with white-out conditions from horizontally blowing snow. You would get this information off of highway conditions reports, not from the weather forecasts.

Also, the plows may not clean up surface snow and ice immediately. If it snowed on one day, the roads may still have snow on them the following day.

I assume you are winterizing your AS prior to making the trip, as temps may not rise above freezing during the day.

Make sure you're dressed for outdoor conditions, including your footwear, not the nice toasty conditions inside your vehicle. If you do slide off the road, or have to step outside for unexpected reasons, you'll be thankful.

Safe travels.

[SpletKay06]

At the very least buy tire chains for your tv and trailer. Also trip check is a great resource in the NW.

[DonDiego]

A quick update.
We decided to leave on 11/29 from Corvallis, OR, took Rt20, and spent the first night in Ontario, OR. The roads were in good shape and the scenery from Corvallis to Bend was worth the drive. At Corvallis we picked up I80 and headed to Laramie, WY via Ogden, UT. Again the roads were great with the exception of a stretch of about 30 miles just west of Laramie. During that stretch, there was a little ice and the winds hit about 40mph (this according to reports and road info signs). The winds were more of a factor the road surface conditions. The temperatures dropped to 15 degrees and we stayed in a motel. The next morning we headed to Des Moines, IA. The temperatures quickly returned to the high 30s and road conditions were great. On Friday we drove the rest of the way with great weather.

I think we caught the weather right with a good window for taking this route. Had conditions been worse, it could have been a long drive. I did have chains with me, but they were never needed. I felt that elevation and grade changes were never an issue. Road surface and wind would be my concern in using this route.
As advised by many here, be prepared, monitor the weather and road conditions and drive cautiously.
I want to thank everyone for the advise, suggestions and comments I received here.
Safe Travels and Merry Christmas