2015 Subaru Legacy. |
I'm not the kind of guy who has so much
adventure in his blood that he merrily hops aboard a plane run by an
airline with which he has no clout. For me that basically means any
airline other than Delta. I simply don't like doing it, particularly
for multiple flights across country or out of the good old U.S. of A.
Is Delta better than every other major
airline? Hardly, but it is the airline with which I have a 25-year
history and about 1.7 million miles under my belt. When issues
develop, which they are want to do, I can generally throw my weight
around and get things solved post haste. Having some degree of
standing with an airline greases the wheels when problems arise and
changes must be effected.
Because I don't fly as much as I used
to, my clout doesn't pack the sting it once did; but it remains
sufficient that I can generally get booked on the next flight when
the original flight is delayed for hours or canceled. If you've ever
been trapped in an airport for a day or two waiting for a seat to
open up after your flight has been canceled, you know exactly where
I'm coming from.
Delta flies a lot of places, but not to Monterey. |
I wrote the above preamble simply to
explain my hesitation at booking my flights to the recent Subaru
Legacy media event in Big Sur, Calif. The nearest airport to the
event's staging area is Monterey. It's one of those “you can't get
there from here” airports. Delta doesn't even service it. I had to
fly U.S. Air. U.S. Air? Oh the humanity!
In an attempt to reduce the likelihood
of something going wrong, I flew in and out of Atlanta to hold the
number of flights each way to two rather than three. That wasn't much
of a stretch for me; I often stage my trips – especially those
heading west – out of Atlanta.
Joni enjoying the view. |
Subaru puts on some terrific media
events, but the Legacy program had the added feature of including a
spouse, significant other, partner, friend or whatever. With my
reservations about dating, I don't have a lady in the batter's box,
or even on deck. Nope. I had to call one up from the reserve
roster. My gal pal in Illinois and I fill in whenever the other is
desperate for a companion for a wedding, funeral or some other
function where it is less complicated to fly someone in than show up
single. Joni had an even tougher set of connections thanks to flying
out of Moline.
We arrived in Monterey separately and
consequently arrived at Big Sur's Ventana Inn separately. I had about
four hours of lead time to shoot some photos and guzzle a few glasses
of wine at the hospitality suite. I thought the timing ideal. She
wasn't impressed with my head start.
My room at Ventana Inn. |
The Ventana Inn is a gorgeous property.
Not quite on the beach, many rooms, as mine did, have an ocean view
and fire place. King-size beds to get lost in, huge soaking tubs and
private patios with a hot tub are found in each room. Oh, and there's
a spa, too. I was manhandled by Michelle for 50 minutes with a
deep-tissue massage at 7 a.m. the next morning. It was glorious!
With the product presentation beginning
at 8:30, I had to do some scrambling to choke down my room-service
breakfast, shower after my massage and get to the presentation.
I was impressed with the 2015 Legacy
from my 40 mile coastal drive from the airport the previous day.
Subaru wants us to think of the redesigned Legacy as a WRX for
families. Indeed, the engineers have managed to inject the suspension
and steering with a heaping helping of WRX DNA. It handles more like
a sport sedan than the sensible all-wheel-drive people hauler it's
supposed to be. Sensible can be fun.
Cabin of the 2015 Legacy. |
Available in four trims from the
$21,695 2.5i to the $29,595 3.6R Limited with its six-cylinder
engine, Legacy is built in Indiana. Every Legacy is loaded with
safety and infotainment gear. Either standard or optional are things
like EyeSight front collision prevention, rear vehicle detection,
blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear cross traffic
alert. New front-seat cushion airbags help keep occupants snugly in
place during a frontal crash.
The starter 2.5 flat-four-cylinder
engine delivers 175 horsepower to the four wheels via a CVT. This is
good for 30 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Stepping up to the
3.6-liter six gets you 256 horsepower and 23 combined mpg. And
remember, that's with AWD.
Spectacular! |
Despite including a gaggle of curves
and hills, our morning and afternoon drive routes were pretty simple.
We just stuck to California 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) south to
Hearst Beach and then back to the Ventana Inn by the same road.
Joni did her fair share of white
knuckling. The Legacy handled great and the road was packed with
twisties. I offered her the opportunity to drive part of the route.
She opened her eyes long enough to register shock at such a suggestion before squeezing
them shut again.
All it needs is a moat. |
In between the morning and afternoon
drives, we enjoyed an ocean-side picnic at Hearst Beach and then took
a three-hour tour of Hearst Castle. Nearly three decades in the
making, this palatial home is absolutely incredible. Apparently no
one ever told Randolph Hearst that less is more. Our tour guide was a
treasure trove of facts and gossip about the mansion, the Hearsts and
their guests.
You rang? |
On the way back, we also made an
unscheduled stop near Point Piedras Blancas to gander at the scores
of elephant seals basking in the afternoon sun on the beach.
The entire day made me feel much more
like a tourist than someone who was technically working. I like that.
All of these bad boys are alive and well. They are just enjoying a little siesta. |
At cocktail hour our final night. Yes, we're twins and Mom still dresses us alike. |
Our first flight the following day to
get us to our respective homes was at 6:15 a.m. Ouch. That meant a 3
a.m. wake-up call. Yikes!
Well, it seemed like a good idea when
we booked it.
I've finally finished reading this.
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