When Jo and I bought our house we were able to solve a problem that has cramped our lifestyle for years. We didn't own a vehicle with a real back seat which was a real pain when friends and family come to town. Jo was driving around the Honda, which I got super cheap because it was stolen and recovered, but it didn't have a horn and the air bag was questionable. When the heat died during during a -30 degree cold spell in December, that was the last straw. The replacement vehicle needed to have four wheel drive, four real seats plus room for dogs, gear, and a rack. The obvious choice was a Subaru Outback, but those are worth their weight in gold in Colorado. Although, they are rock-solid reliable they just aren't as sporty as I would have liked. The next option was a Honda Element, but this overlapped the role of the Tacoma and is as sporty as a shopping cart. It took some serious research and searching, but back in December I found the perfect solution.
The Wagon (I mean Touring) on the Drive Back from Kansas
It's a BMW 325xiT Sport Wagon or Touring in BMW speak. It's not as big as an Outback, but so much nicer and believe it or not cheaper for similar year and mileage. It was hard to find, but I found the right one in Kansas, an '04 manual with cold weather package. I picked it up just in time to take it to Ouray over the New Year's for the Phoenix Multisport trip. The drive over the mountains was a pleasure. I set a new record to Grand Junction, 3:30 hours! I wasn't speeding horribly, just able to maintain good speed over the passes and through the snow. The AWD system is super sporty with the majority of power going to the rear wheels allowing me to break the rear end on wet and snow when I wanted to.
A New Record to the Western Slope
I met up with Jo and everyone from Phoenix Multisport late Saturday night. I was still pretty gimpy from my knee surgery so David and I hung out while everyone was out doing stuff. I did manage to tag along for Jo's snowshoe to take some pics and hang out at the ice park to snag some ice climbing shots. Other than an incident involving my toe and a nude drunk patron at Orvis Hot Springs it was a great weekend. I'll let the pictures tell the story.
Ouray
Jo's Snowshoe
The Ice Park
Getting David on the Wall
On the way back from Ouray we hauled 4 adults and a hatch full of gear at good speeds on a scenic drive through Blue Mesa Reservoir, over Monarch Pass, and South Park. I scored a set of winter wheels and mounted my rack from the M Coupe to complete the wagon. It's the sportiest station wagon, I mean Touring, in town! The Honda has been demoted to my daily driver while the Tacoma is the dog mobile so we can stretch it out for a few more years.
Morning in the Mountains
A Hatch Full of Gear
Blazing Over Monarch Pass
M3 Contour Wheels, Snow Tires, and Red Rocky Mount Trays
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