One of the joys of cruising in a sailboat is knowing that you are using sustainable energy when you are actually sailing. Of course, as we have frequently bemoaned, we end up using the diesel engine more that we would prefer (either due to insufficient wind or a need to get somewhere quickly against the wind). Now that we have decided to postpone our return to New Zealand until possibly October or November, we are planning to do some land-cruising in the USA and UK.

While there is no question that we will be flying to the UK and hope that we will mostly use trains to get around, we were not so sure if planes and rental cars were our best option over the several months that we will be in the US. Instead, we bought ourselves a used car which we plan to sell when we return to New Zealand. During our 12-week stay, we have already accumulated more than one checked-bag of stuff each, including a guitar that Dwight kindly gave to Randall, so now we can drive this stuff around and disperse it all at the end.

Trying to reduce our guilt about the fossil-fuel consumption associated with all of this touring, we bought a hybrid gasoline/electric car, a 2008 Toyota Prius. We might have got a cheaper one in a private sale but no one responded to our requests on craigslist.org. We finally found one that we liked at a small used-car dealer about 20 miles (32 km) north of Gainesville. This car's service record is very thorough so we feel as though we have bought a well-maintained vehicle. Once we had acquired our Prius it was time to return the vehicle that Nancy had so kindly loaned us during our stay in Florida. We are so grateful to her for her generosity and trust in our driving abilities.



Chip, Nancy, and Randall with one of the two vehicles that she loaned to us – Thank you, Nancy!

On Wednesday (April 6th) we are going to South Florida to visit friends in Jupiter, Miami, the Keys, Sarasota, and Clermont. It should be a good shake-down cruise for the car...which we hope will perform flawlessly. After returning to Gainesville for one night, we will then drive to San Jose, CA, ensuring that we will get there a day or two before Martha's hip-replacement surgery on April 21st. Along the way, we plan to visit friends in the Florida panhandle and Alabama, and then spend a weekend in Denver, CO, with Heather, Kaeden and Atleigh. We are very excited about seeing Heather and our grandchildren for the first time in three years. Although this will just be a short visit, once we leave California we will be returning to Denver at some point as we zig-zag between other family and friends spread-out across the country. Let the “It's Good to be Alive Tour” begin!