Our U.S. road trip is already about halfway done =( At the halfway mark, we have covered: 
-4,500 miles
-13 States
-Spotted 48 state license plates (guess the two we are still missing?  There is a hint at the end of the post)
-Only 5 fast food places (not too bad!)
-Lodging at a potpourri of 2 star motels: Motel 6, Super 8, Red Roof Inn, Microtel, Holiday Inn, Regency Inn and Sleep Inn, to name a few 
-1 Klezmer band

Some people have asked us why our road trip didn't take us out west. We both really wanted to see more of the Western half of the US but ultimately prioritized visiting some friends and family east of the Mississippi.  The Honda also begged us to go easy in its old age.  

Despite all the time in our car,  we are surprisingly not sick of driving. The car has become our new home.  In the beginning, we even had trouble relaxing when we arrived at our destination, especially in Florida where the day's agenda might just be hitting the beach (for about 20 minutes before we burned).  As someone who really values a routine, and when the car is the most routine thing in our lives right now, it is actually somewhat disorienting to be in one place. But as we are spending more time on our trip with friends and family instead of $40 hotels, we are feeling much more at home. 

4 more weeks until we fly out of here and begin our 10+ months as ex-pats!  

We begin our trip with a six week road trip across the southern and eastern parts of the U.S.   With our odometer topping in just under 100,000, we are hoping to make it until mid-May without a call to AAA.  


We are looking forward to seeing our family and friends across the U.S. over the next few weeks, but we 
are already missing all of our Chicago friends. 

Now that we are off, our blog will be continually updated so be sure to check back often. And by the way, Motel 6 is charming!