A recent road trip to Portland — a 300-mile journey we undertake fairly often from our home here in Southern Oregon — offered a few unexpected challenges when we received four inches of snow on the morning of our departure. Knowing that snow on the valley floor here certainly meant a greater accumulation on the three nearly 2,000-foot-elevation passes Interstate 5 scales north of here, we shifted into our “flexibility” mode. We pushed back our departure time; made sure we had boots, gloves and hats in the car; and went online to check road conditions.

The state Department of Transportation maintains a website with a map of the state featuring roadside cameras, traffic delays and hazard warnings and weather stations. It’s my go-to source whenever I’m planning a lengthy drive. Oregon encompasses amazingly diverse geography, from foggy coastlines, rain forests and  snowcapped mountain ranges to deep gorges and arid high deserts, and weather and road conditions can offer equally diverse experiences, sometimes within a fairly short span. Even as the snow was rapidly melting from the roadways in my neighborhood, I observed that chains were required on non-four-wheel-drive vehicles along our intended route. The weather station at the top of one of the passes indicated it was still “snowing heavily” up there, with the temperature at 27 degrees. The traffic camera based at the bottom of the approach to that hill showed a long string of semis, either chaining up or moving at a snail’s pace.

I settled in to get some work done, knowing it would be foolish to depart immediately only to sit, frustrated, behind all those trucks or, worse yet, have to put chains on my tires. Two hours later, a check of the cameras showed bare, wet pavement on the passes and no backlog of vehicles, with traffic apparently moving smoothly. The temperature stood above freezing, and the chain restriction had been removed. Off we went, and 30 minutes later we were sailing smoothly over the passes, with bright sun shining off a lovely scene of snow-covered trees.

Though GPS and nav programs can offer some information about travel routes, the real-time information, data and images offered on the DOT site can’t be beat. Keep that in mind when you’re traveling by car, especially to destinations unfamiliar to you. Look up that area’s DOT website and familiarize yourself with its offerings. Bookmark the URL so that it’s readily accessible, and give it a quick scan before you hit the road. You could save yourself time and numerous headaches by doing so.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor