THANK YOU to everyone who responded! Your advice has been terrific. We have already ordered “winter” tires which we will have installed next week before we leave, and I have made a supplies and winter driving list.
The cost of the tires – about $880 for 4 mounted and balanced – is low relative to the value of my daughter’s safety. To mollify a friend I even did a cost comparison of renting a car pre-equipped with winter tires. YIKES! When you add the “driver under 25” daily fee to the two-week rental and consider the additional plane fare, that $800 is a BARGAIN.
BTW, though I grew up in Wisconsin and have lived in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, after living in the South for ~25 years I had forgotten tips like changing the washer fluid and checking the wiper blades. I think I will impose the consensus of this group that, even using winter tires, if the highway report indicates chains are needed for the passes, it’s time to get off the road for the day and make an adventure out of meeting all the other stranded travelers.
THANKS AGAIN!