It is official, I will be starting a Ph.D. program at the University of
Idaho in the fall.  Moscow is a cold place I am told, having never lived
north of San Francisco or more than 20 miles from the great blue Pacific I
have some relocation questions:
1) what type of tires do I need for my rig? Do you get another set of rims
for your winter tires?
2) are there any precautions or preventative maintenance I can do now so my
bus will survive in the cold?
3) do they salt the roads up there?  and if so, how do I prevent the
inevitable rust?
4) smog laws? I will need a new cat to pass smog tests in CA, but can I get
away with it in ID w/o a cat?

Thanks for the help.
Matthew Pollard
84 wolfsburg weekender

(ps, a phd in chem-physics is what I will be studying for)