The van gets about 25 mpg on good days. 20 on not so good ones. Usually in between. Comparing a $30 private motel in Greencastle PA with a $60 one in Hagerstown or a $90 one in Frederick... it will make sense even in the face of the gas usage, until I have enough dough to get something longer term. I already laugh at the soft jams between Hagerstown and Germantown. If someone pulled over with car or truck trouble, everyone has to slow to a crawl to look at it. But they aren’t the stock still, half hour long parking sessions that are typical of Chicago at rush hour.
Hah! Just you wait. At least people in Chicago know how to drive in snow. Here, everyone acts like they've never seen the stuff. In many cases, they really never have seen it before. You will have a horrible time driving with idiots up and down all the hills on I-70 and 270 between Hagerstown and Germantown when it's slick and icy, and most of the other drivers are from Mumbai or somewhere.
the snow here really is not like Chicago's. We have a warmer average temperature in the winter, and much of the time it's right at the freezing point, so there's a lot of freezing rain. Lots of accidents on the ice. I didn't believe it when I moved here after living in the midwest, the north, and the far west, but it's true.
I really hope the money comes through for you so you can rent a place in Mount Airy, Damascus, or points north.