Awesome Stops on Pacific Coast Highway to Take Your Dog in a 2020 Mazda CX-9

August 3, 2020
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Nowadays, the best therapy is a car ride adventure. Exactly what we’ve been doing since the COVID-19 closures. We spent the weekend cruising SoCal Orange County Pacific Coast Highway in a Soul Red 2020 Mazda CX-9 Signature.

Mazda provided Golden Woofs a 2020 Mazda CX-9 Signature to test drive in exchange for sharing experience about the vehicle. Golden Woofs only shares information we feel is relevant and useful to our readers.

Awesome Stops on Pacific Coast Highway to Take Your Dog

Pacific Coast Highway, also known as California State Route 1 or PCH, s one of America’s most famous highways (second to Route 66). Many visitors to Southern California take PCH because of the scenic views of the ocean.

Huntington Beach, CA
Surf City Huntington Beach is known for its long 8.5 miles of beach which is excellent for surfing. Huntington Beach is dog friendly and the 1.5 miles of dog beach is visited by SoCal residents and tourists. KB loves it but due to COVID-19, we just went for a quick stroll in downtown Huntington Beach Main St, the anchor pathway to the must-visit iconic Huntington Beach Pier.

The 2020 Mazda CX-9 Signature is very spacious. The CX-9 is a seven-seater; where the rear seats can be folded down (enough room for two big suitcases or large dog carrier). KORU BEAR had an option to say at the back but he is most comfortable just to be on the second row back seat. He enjoyed a relaxing 13 minutes drive (6.3. miles) to Balboa.

Balboa: Newport Beach, CA
We drove to the historic and scenic 3-mile stretch known as Peninsula and visited the white sand beach. Balboa is known as a hidden fun gem for dogs. It’s charming to take a stroll along the waterfront.

The vibrant color Soul Red Crystal of the Mazda CX-9 stands out, especially on a cloudy morning. We receive lots of compliments. Mazda debuted the body color Soul Red Crystal last 2016 to symbolize its KODO—Soul of Motion design.

Crystal Cove
One of our favorite SoCal Orange County PCH scenic drives is when it opens up to Crystal Cove with the view of State Beach. It was a smooth 9minute drive (4.4 miles) to Laguna Beach, CA.

One of our favorite feature is Mazda’s windshield-projected Active Driving Display; a heads-up display that provides relevant driving information such as speed, navigation, direction and more.

Laguna Beach, CA
We stopped at dog-friendly Heisler Park. The oceanfront view is awesome and walked around the park for 2 miles.

Definitely during this pandemic, Heisler Park is a great place to visit; you can certainly keep your social distancing with its wide open space.

Dana Point, CA
From Laguna Beach, it’s a 8-mile drive to Dana Point – a scenic town and known for being a whale-watching mecca. We visited the mile Bluff Top Trail with amazing view of Dana Point Harbor.

The weather on our PCH scenic drive ended up to be sunny with mild wind. We found a hidden spot to enjoy a view of Orange County.

The new Mazda CX-9 is built with your comfort in mind with great headroom. We folded down the third-row seats and created more than 70 cubic feet of space. It was awesome to just chill and utilize the trunk space.

The 2020 Mazda CX-9 recently earned a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). To learn more about Mazda CX-9, call your local Mazda dealership. Many dealerships are now offering “no-touch test-drives” and home delivery.

Lots of Golden Thanks to Mazda for making our weekend drive memorable to see awesome stops on Pacific Coast Highway.

Gotcha Day Trip to Dog Friendly Santa Barbara

June 11, 2020

To celebrate KORU BEAR’s 3rd Gotcha Day, we decided to take a drive to dog friendly Santa Barbara. We are excited to be on the road again. Our 2020 #MazdaCX-5 Signature AWD car ride was smooth and the two-hour drive seemed very short (so happy there was no traffic in Los Angeles).

Mazda provided Golden Woofs a 2020 #MazdaCX-5 Signature AWD to test drive in exchange for sharing experience about the vehicle. Golden Woofs only shares information we feel is relevant and useful to our readers.

We had a list of dog-friendly Santa Barbara places and things to do but due to the COVID-19 pandemic not all establishments have opened. From my list, we accomplished six. It was actually good since we are only visiting for the day.

2020 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD offers many safety features that complimented our 140-mile drive to Santa Barbara.

The CX-5 has a beautiful luxury feeling interior design with Nappa leather-trimmed seats and layered wood trim. Plus, the awesome stereo provided musical enjoyment on our long car ride.

Gotcha Day Trip to Dog Friendly Santa Barbara

1.
Chromatic Gate
Our first stop is the must-see multi-colored rainbow arch; Herbert Bayer’s Chromatic Gate. This 21-foot, 12.5 tons rainbow archway was built in 1991 as a memorial to both Herbert Bayer and his wife Joella, by Paul Mills, Art Director at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Santa Barbara Herbert Bayer’s Chromatic Gate is located on the corner of East Cabrillo Blvd. and Calle Puerto Vallarta

2.
Mission Park and Rose Garden
A lovely park also known as “The Road Garden,” which is adjacent to Old Mission Santa Barbara. The garden contains over 1,500 rose plants and in bloom between April and November.

This park is a popular place to chill and have picnics on the grass while enjoying the fragrant roses and magnificent views of the Old Mission.

The dog friendly Mission Park and Rose Garden is located at 2201 Laguna Street

KORU BEAR occupied the back seat (good for a large dog or two small/medium dogs). The headroom accommodated his height with enough room to sit or stand up.

3.
Downtown Santa Barbara
Many shops and restaurants were still closed; so we only drove by downtown Santa Barbara to admire the distinctive architecture. We were told that Santa Barbara’s downtown State Street is known as one of America’s most pedestrian-friendly downtowns.

4.
Stearns Wharf
One of Santa Barbara’s most iconic landmarks is Stearns Wharf; named for builder John P. Stearns. Stearns Wharf is California’s oldest working wharf. KORU BEAR loved the salty breezes and the ocean view.

Stearns Wharf located at 217 Stearns Wharf, cross-section of the end of State Street and Cabrillo

5.
Montecito
A short drive from Santa Barbara (about 4 miles), we visited the town Montecito (Spanish for “little mount”). We strolled down the popular Coast Village Drive.

We decided to dine at Lucky’s dog friendly patio. Our meal was delicious and KORU BEAR was able to relax, hydrate, and enjoy a special dog chew.

Lucky’s is located at 1279 Coast Village Rd, Montecito, CA

6.
Arroyo Burro Beach
Ended our Santa Barbara day trip at dog-friendly Arroyo Burro Beach; known to the locals as Hendry’s Beach. A must visit! Dogs are allowed to be off-leash on the beach just east of the creek.

KORU BEAR had a pawtastic time. Best Day Ever! Also, an awesome treat for pawrents, there’s a self-serve dog wash stations avoiding wet dog smell in your car.

Arroyo Burro Beach County Park is located at 2981 Cliff Drive; 5 miles west of Santa Barbara’s city center

Feel Alive 2020 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD had shown excellent performance on the highway and FUN to Drive!

Mazda’s CX-5 is named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Also, a government five-star ratings from the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These safety recognitions provide peace of mind.

To learn more about CX-5, call your local Mazda dealership. Many dealerships are now offering no-touch test-drives” and home delivery.

Lots of Golden Thanks to Mazda for providing us to test drive the 2020 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD and brought us joy celebrating KORU BEAR’s Gotcha Day celebration at dog friendly Santa Barbara.

5 Dog-Friendly Destinations and Car Tech Features For Your Spring Break Road Trip

February 20, 2020

Spring is here, and time to celebrate the season by taking a family road trip. Your dog is part of your family so plan for dog-friendly destinations.

This post is sponsored by Autotrader; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own and Golden Woofs only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.

We always plan our vacation to be dog-friendly. KORU BEAR is the best travel companion and makes our vacation more memorable. Lucky to live in Southern California. There are many dog-friendly places we can spend for the day, weekend or for weeks. We’ve gathered five of our favorite dog-friendly destinations for your spring break road trip with your dog.

5 Dog-Friendly Destinations For Your Spring Break Road Trip

1.
Carmel by the Sea, CA
Carmel by the Sea (often simply called Carmel) is rated as the #1 dog-friendly town in America. The city of Carmel truly caters to pampering your dog for a pawsome vacation. Many restaurants provide doggie menus, and our favorite is the daily Yappy Hour at the famous Cypress Inn. Carmel offers many attractions; the white sand Carmel Beach is popular especially as dogs are welcome to play and swim off-leash. Do you love driving and scenic routes? You’ll enjoy the 17-Mile Drive; one of the most scenic drives in the world.

2.
Phoenix, AZ / Sedona, AZ
The Southwest is known for the dry climate and breathtaking mountain views. Many hotels offer dog-friendly accommodation (especially for big dogs like KORU BEAR). If you love hiking with your dog and are up for a challenge, include hiking in your itinerary. Hike the Camelback Mountain located in the middle of Phoenix Valley. On our recent trip to Phoenix, we spent a day in Sedona, AZ ( about 115 miles; 2-hour drive). We strolled the town and hiked the dog-friendly Cathedral Rock Trail; 1.2-mile hike and an icon attraction in Sedona.

3.
Palm Springs, CA
Palm Springs is well-known for an abundance of sunshine for more than 350 days a year. The weather is normally warm but early Spring is the best time to visit.
Many resort hotels accommodate big dogs and have a daily or weekly yappy hour. All restaurants with outdoor patios are dog-friendly. Attending the Thursday Villagefest on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs is a favorite attraction and a great way to start the weekend fun with your dog. If you love plants specifically cacti and desert plants, visit the Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium; 1-acre family-owned botanical garden.

4.
Huntington Beach, CA
One of our favorite SoCal dog-friendly destinations is visiting Huntington Beach aka Surf City USA. Lots of dogs visit Huntington Beach daily. The Huntington Dog Beach is the main attraction for dog owners. Many places welcome dogs and hotels provide luxurious dog-friendly accommodations; one reason Huntington Beach is voted as one of California’s dog-friendliest.

5.
San Diego, CA
San Diego has a great climate throughout the year and considered as pet paradise; ranked as America’s most dog-friendly city. There are so many fun places and things to do in San Diego with your dog. The most popular is going to the beach; Coronado Dog Beach, Del Mar Dog Beach, Ocean Beach Dog Beach, and Fiesta Island. San Diego is considered to have the most dog-friendly beaches of any major U.S. city.

5 Car Tech Features For Your Dog-Friendly Spring Break Road Trip

On our road trips, it is important that our vehicle (owned or rented) be equipped with features that can make our dog-friendly travel safe and enjoyable. Autotrader recently recommended 5 Car Tech Features You’ll Want on Your Spring Break Road Trip. These car tech features include Apple CarPlay, smart charging ports, 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, and rear-seat entertainment. In this Autotrader article, you’ll find more detailed information on how these car tech features can make your Spring break road trip drive less stressful. Car technology is advancing, if you plan to rent or purchase a new vehicle, make sure to keep these car tech features in mind.

Are you excited to go on a road trip with your dog?
What dog-friendly destinations will you be visiting this Spring break?

Pre-Gotcha Day Adventure Riding in a Mitsubishi Outlander #DriveMitsubishi

May 29, 2018

KORU BEAR had a fun pre-gotcha day weekend adventure. We went to Palm Springs and he had an enjoyable car ride in a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC.

Mitsubishi provided Golden Woofs a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC 4-Door SUV to test drive and share our experience. Golden Woofs only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Pre-Gotcha Day Trip in Palm Springs
Riding 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC 4-Door SUV

The Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S is a spacious mid-size crossover SUV vehicle. The diamond white pearl Mitsubishi Outlander GT is the perfect vehicle color to drive to always sunny Palm Springs. It’s a bit longer too (the length is similar to a mini-van).

KORU BEAR in Palm Springs
2018 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC 4-Door SUV

Our drive to Palm Springs was about an hour and a half and 115 miles. The drive was not smooth; you can feel the bumps and movements. Also, hoping to have more power but the acceleration is poor. When using the ECO MODE the car slowed down even more.

For a Japanese car-made, it is surprisingly spacious The back seat can comfortably accommodate 2-3 passengers but needed more knee room. For a big dog like KORU BEAR (about 75lbs and 45 inches long), the back seat is sufficient plus the headroom is good. The front driver and front passenger seats are comfortable. The seating is “high” and made outside visibility good.

The cargo space is wide and can accommodate large luggage. – if more space is needed, the back seats can be folded down.

We had an opportunity to watch the desert sunset and utilized the cargo space.

We drove around Palm Springs and visited places known as Instagram-worthy places. We visited the Pink Door (photography is no longer allowed) and the ACE Hotel.

The gas mileage in the Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC is good. We filled the gas tank when we passed the Historic Route 99 and visited Salvation Mountain.

The blind spot warning and lane change assist are great safety features but a bit sensitive and can be annoying.

Safety is important for Mitsubishi. From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander has an overall safety rating of four out of five stars. It earned five stars for its side crash rating and four stars for its rollover and frontal crash ratings. From the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Outlander earned the top score of good in all six crash tests. The Outlander SUV is a 2018 IIHS Top Safety Pick.

“Our priority is to help you stay safe on the road, come what may. We’re committed to your safety on every trip, big or small. “ – Mitsubishi Motors

The rearview camera system is a great feature shown on the awesome 7-inch touchscreen display. It was helpful when parallel parking or backing out of a driveway. This touchscreen display is a standard feature in Mitsubishi Outlander.

KORU BEAR is always safe in the car.
He wears an award-winning Sleepypod Clickit Terrain dog safety harness.

All in all, the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC 4-Door SUV provides satisfying driving. It’s a great family vehicle and can accommodate a large dog (under 100lbs). Also, it has an outstanding coverage consisting of a five-year/60,000-mile warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Lots of Golden Thanks to Mitsubishi for allowing us to test drive the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander 3.0 GT S-AWC. KORU BEAR, Dog-Friendly Car Reviewer

Use this link to learn more about Mitsubishi Outlander specifications. Visit MitsubishiCars.com to learn more about Mitsubishi vehicles. Visit your local dealership to test drive a Mitsubishi Outlander. Call ahead, if you plan to bring your dog (not all dealership are dog-friendly).

Have you driven a Mitsubishi Outlander?

Weekend Fun Riding 2018 Mazda CX-3 #DriveMazda

October 23, 2017

To kick off KORU BEAR’s Fall adventures, we took the 2018 Mazda CX-3 for a test drive and visited San Diego – one of our favorite places to go for weekend fun.

Mazda provided Golden Woofs a 2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring to test drive in exchange for sharing experience about the vehicle. Golden Woofs only shares information we feel is relevant and useful to our readers.

Weekend Fun Riding 2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring

For this special weekend in San Diego, I made KORU BEAR a dog collar bandana. The fabric of his bandana provided a boost of color to the two-toned interior and ceramic metallic exterior colors.

The interior includes these awesome features: a power moonroof, leather-wrapped steering wheel, navigation, bluetooth hands-free phone/audio, rear-view camera, and advanced keyless entry.

The crossover SUV 2018 Mazda CX-3 looks elegant. The 16-in alloy wheels added an aesthetic look and performance of the car.

First, we took KORU BEAR to a pumpkin farm. His hour and a half ride in the Mazda CX-3 was very comfortable. He occupied the back seat and was able to stretch out. The headroom was just right; for a 75lb big puppy. The rear passenger back seat seems to be tight. Definitely, not ideal for dog owners with XL large dog or multi-large dogs. Also, the cargo space is tight. We had to place some of KORU BEAR’s belongings in the back seat.

Then, we attended a dog-friendly run race. Our ride was smooth and the suspension did well on handling bumps on the road. There was less cabin road noise too. KORU BEAR had a fun ride to and from the race. He was proud finishing his first 5k run.

Zoom Zoom Experience | Driving Matters

I’ve driven many Mazda vehicles, and it’s always a ‘zoom-zoom’ experience. The Mazda CX-3 is small and joyful to drive on a curvy road.

After the race, we drove to Fiesta Island – known to have the best dog park on the beach. The Mazda CX-3 performed well on the hard, flat dirt surface. KORU BEAR loved it so much and he did not want to leave.

Mazda makes everything to make driving better. Each Mazda vehicle is built with an intent to celebrate driving. Driving Matters to Mazda!. The luxurious interior of the 2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring made my driving experience positive and KORU BEAR’s enjoyable. For a long drive, the driver seat was comfy but wish to have more powerful acceleration. The body size makes the CX-3 easy to maneuver and fun to drive. Love the keyless entry feature which made it convenient to get in an out – especially if you don’t have a free hand.

The Mazda CX-3 safety features certify that Mazda cares about safety. It earned a Government 5-Star Safety Ratings. Visit MazdaUSA.com to learn more about Mazda CX-3 and other Mazda vehicles. Visit your local dealership to test drive a 2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring. Call ahead, if you plan to bring your dog (not all dealership are dog-friendly).

Lots of Golden Thanks to Mazda for a weekend fun riding 2018 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring. KORU BEAR, Dog-Friendly Car Reviewer