along with countless safety features like the head-up display to help keep your eyes on the road, ensure our precious furry cargo arrives safely no matter the road or weather conditions. After checking in to a pet-friendly cottage at the oceanfront Wild Renfrew that would serve as our base camp for the weekend, we unpacked quickly because the dogs were ready for another stroll. We wandered along the wharf and rocky waterfront next to our cot- tage enjoying the sunset. On Saturday we had a slow, leisurely morning with coffee and breakfast on the deck. Dark clouds were rolling in but the dogs were once again ready for action rain or shine. It took some maneuvering in mud mode — one of the Outlander’s seven different drive modes — through puddles and muddy terrain to find an isolated spot to let Hurley and Koloa run off leash through the trees. Fortunately, the vehicle’s semi-aniline leather interior is easy to wipe clean after transporting our often shedding and covered-in-mud passengers.
Sampling the fare at locally owned restaurants is something we love to do on our road trips as much as exploring the outdoors. We stopped at the road- side Coastal Kitchen Café for lunch on the dog-friend- ly patio. Joe and I devoured a homemade pizza while the dogs waited eagerly on their blanket for the day’s next activity. Meanwhile, I charged the dogs’ safety lights and my camera battery using the two 120 V outlets in the Outlander PHEV so they’d be ready for us that afternoon. We finished lunch and shifted into gravel mode for better traction and stability on the steep and uneven logging road we were about to climb. Driving slowly for more than 10 kilometres followed by a short hike, we arrived at Big Lonely Doug. Doug is the second lar- gest Douglas-fir tree in Canada at a staggering 70.2 metres tall. We got caught in the rain but it was worth it to see this ancient giant. The dogs were finally tired from our outdoor explora- tions, so we headed back to the cottage to dry off and unwind. On the way, Joe and I activated the front seat
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