Oh Hello there! 👋🏽👋🏽
Our 4th of July weekend getaway this year with the Strains was a true highlight of this summer. We had a great time, we were able to squeeze ourselves in the awesome Mazda CX-3 and we headed to Crater Lake and Bend, OR for three days. This trip was on our bucket list and we got to make it happen with the best company.
It is a long drive and Ryan did all the driving this time (thank you James! ;) ). He wanted to try and drive one of this awesome cars we get from DriveShopUsa and this was the trip! We left Friday evening and drove as much as we could so that in the morning we only had the last part of the driving. We camped that night somewhere along the way and we arrived to Crater Lake the next morning. It was incredible, the water was a deep blue and the weather was cool and sunny and we took lots of pictures and videos but they don't make enough justice to the magesty of this place. It is breathtaking and I would recommend anyone to see it in person. We found an amazing camping spot the second night in the middle of nowhere next to a river where we got eaten by thousands of mosquitoes but that's ok.
On this adventure I discovered Nitro coffee, that for the ones that don't know what that is, is beer meets coffee kind of drink. It doesn't taste like beer, but has the same texture as tab beer but with coffee taste. I loved it! (Seattle let's bring some of that up here!) While in Bend we did a tour at the Deschutes Brewery which was really interesting and we floated the river. As much as I love camping and sitting around a bonfire, that night felt good to stay at a hotel, being able to shower and sleep in a bed.
The water snob in me loved the taste of the water in that area. They have water from the springs all year long that has a great taste and perfect temperature.
You can watch the video we made for this trip below.
The car was probably a bit small for four people and all our stuff for three days (specially with two big guys), but we managed to fit everything and since we actually like each other, spending all this time squeezed on such a small space was not that bad.
Just look at how photogenic this car is, and it comes with great Standard Equipment. That's always good to know since you know that if you had to get the basic one, you know it comes with everything you love in a car (and more!).
Here are some of our favorite things:
- All-Wheel Drive (Snow, heavy rain..! I think this is a must for a car too)
- Keyless Entry System (No more digging on your purse and going crazy)
- Blind Spot Monitoring (this is probably my favorite in every car, a must for safety!!!)
- Bluetooth Hands Free Phone/Audio (perfect for roadtrips and play your favorite music/podcasts from your phone)
- Rearview camera (yes please!!)
- Safety first (anti-lock brake system, dynamic stability control, traction control system...)
The only thing was that, once the car was moving, you couldn't play around with the Phone/Audio system, you had to use the controlers. That is for safety, but it takes a little bit to get used to.
The car was very comfortable to drive, although Ryan's legs were a bit too long for it, but I think Jenna and I would do just fine! ;)
Also, Mazda gives $25 of charitable value to redeem online to give to any non-profit or organization you'd like. They gave me one for driving this car and I decided to donate the money to Treehouse of Seattle, a non-profit commited to giving Foster Kids a Childhood and a Future.
Thank you Mazda USA and DriveShopUsa for making this trip possible!
On this trip we listen all kinds of music, from Reaggeton to country but the thing about roadtrips is that you always leave with a song that stood out the most on the drive and that becomes the soundtrack of the trip, you are not sure why but it does and that all agree. For this trip, it was Eyes Shut by Years & Years.
The amazing spot we found to camp! And free!
4th of July morning!
