I've already read some excellent winter driving advice on this forum, but being an anxious road-tripper I feel compelled to post my details and see if I get any more helpful advice geared towards my specific situation.
We are moving to Portland in mid-late January. We are driving up there twice, once to find a place to live (and leaving the car) then again with the Penske truck and our THREE cats. The three cats are part of my worry about the winter driving, as having to stop for inclement weather is going to be made that more unpleasant by the presence of the felines.
Any advice on the best route to plan on taking (a first choice with the least likely weather delays, with a backup for bad weather?)? So far our two options are looking like (basically) 1-40 to California, then up 99/1-5 to Portland or the more direct route through Kansas/Salt Lake/Idaho. I am leaning towards the California route for safety's sake, but after reading a few forums I am thinking perhaps that might be a mistake. Any helpful advice, especially about driving the moving truck in the winter, would be really appreciated!