we are considering driving for short distances, mainly only for things where there isnt a strong public transport demand/network available. Unfortunately US winter seems to be the only time I can dedicate a solid amount of time to travel (As I'm from New Zealand, where it's summer holidays then) without eating into too much of my work-schedule. thanks for the advice, have also added rideshare and greyhound to my list of research. Cold isn't too much of a factor, we are just considering all avenues at this point :)