Saguaros and Subarus

Susie and I were recently in Arizona and we found ourselves near the entrance to Saguaro National Park.  There are two sections of Saguaro National Park; we were near the one with an 8-mile driving loop through it.  It was an easy one-hour ride with frequent stops for photos.

On these kinds of trips, I love traveling in my Subaru Outback.  If it gets hot, I turn on the air conditioning.  If it gets cold, I turn on the heater.  If it rains, I turn on the windshield wipers.  If I want music or news, I turn on the radio.  If I don’t know how to get someplace, I turn on the nav system.  I can carry as much stuff as I want, even more if I fold down the rear seats.  Don’t get me wrong; I like riding my motorcycle and I’ve done some big motorcycle trips.  But there’s something to be said about traveling with your wife in a comfortable car.  This is the third Subaru I’ve owned, and my next car will be another Subaru.

We stopped in the small visitor center before we left Saguaro National Park, and to my surprise, a new Subaru Wilderness Outback was in the parking lot.   It’s a version with different trim, more ground clearance, restyled bumpers (front and rear) for better approach angles, and lower gearing.  I like the idea of everything except the lower gearing and the trim.  Somehow, the Wilderness styling makes it look cheap (in my opinion) and the lower gearing lowers fuel economy.

I’ve owned three Subies now, starting with a 2006 WRX, a 2013 CrossTrek, and my current Outback.  They have all been great automobiles.

So, about this most recent trip:  We meandered through Arizona and New Mexico, and our travels included stops at the Tinfiny Ranch, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, and more.  Stay tuned; there are more blogs coming your way from this adventure.  We had a blast.

---

Never miss an ExNotes blog:

---

Help us keep the lights on:   Please click on those popup ads!