Driving from Gatineau/Ottawa to Chicago...? -

Hey! I am on my year abroad in Quebec (I m from England) and I have never experienced snow like this before! For Christmas, 6 others and I are going to be driving to Chicago to spend the holidays. (I ve been told this is not a good idea...but you only live once hey, and why not make it an adventure!) So to make it as safe as possible, can anyone from any near by areas give me any tips? We will be stopping off at Toronto for a night to break the journey up a little bit. Are there any roads that are better than others for example? Any particular spots I should be especially careful at?Is the wind really that bad on the road to Chicago?! Also...will driving at night be really difficult because of not being able to see upcoming problems...or will it maybe be better because the roads are quieter?I want this to be a memorable trip for the right reasons, so any suggestions are welcomed! :)

Below is the general route for your 803 mile (1,292 km) trip:http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m lat=43.5064��Expect to be in the car at least 13 hours. for the total trip. You will have to stop for fuel/food/toilet 3 or 4 times. Stay on expressways and interstate highways in the US. They will be the best maintained in snowy weather.I would expect to encounter the heaviest snow near the Great Lakes...Brockville to Hamilton in Canada and western Michigan to Chicago in the US. Right now the windspeed is 21 mph (34 km/h) with lower rates until Wednesday. The temperature is 2F (-16.5C). Use the following site for weather conditions:http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/va��Be prepared for an emergency with a kit for the trunk:http://cars.about.com/od/adviceforowners��The following sites will be helpful regarding highway conditions and border crossing conditions in Ontario, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois:http://www.highwayconditions.com/link_to��http://www.highwayconditions.com/mi.htmhttp://www.highwayconditions.com/link_to��http://www.dot.state.il.us/tpublic.html