I had the ultimate pleasure of driving a Mazda5 Grand Touring to Yosemite.  The Mazda5 is a true  delight to drive!! The car drives smoothly! The handling is amazing. It drives like a small car with all the features of a large family car. The greatest feature for me? 25.5 miles per gallon MOUNTAIN driving!! That’s OUTSTANDING!! I love the amount of room in this car!! 3 rows of seating!! We took the Mazda5 on our day trips, 4 adults and a toddler in a carseat and still room in the back for picnic lunch, stroller and day packs!  More to love:Sunroof. Double Sliding Doors (the greatest invention ever!!) EASY to get to carseat anchors. (Mom’s will really love this feature! No crawling over seats!!) Storage under the seats in the middle row. Storage between the middle seats. Cup holders for all. 2 charging ports.MP3/iPad hook up.Heated seats and side mirrors.Air vent for the backseats.5 speed automatic.3 Homelink buttons and a compass in the rear view mirror! Price? $24,470  SWEET!!!  Disclosure I received a complimentary week driving the Mazda5 for the purpose of my review. (They aren’t letting me keep this one either I checked AGAIN!!) No other compensation was provided. The opinions…

Yosemite in May is spectacular!!  I wanted to share some of my pictures! We drove the Mazda5 packed to the gills! Traveling with a two year old means we took a LOT more than last years camping trip! Diane, you asked if I meant camping as in ……. sleeping bag…. tent…. yup!! We do cheat a little and use air mattresses.  Let me tell you what!! I was so thankful to DH for the new sleeping bag he bought me for Mother’s Day!!  I was toasty warm!! It was FREEZING at night!! Camping with a toddler also means you have to ignore the dirt……… a LOT of dirt! I want y’all to know Selena and Dan put up that HUGE 10 man tent, inflated the air mattresses, put suitcases in, set up the sleeping bags, filled the bear locker with the food ALL BEFORE I put that STUPID little TINY pink tent together for Alice. Although it is adorable and she had a great time in it, it was a pain in the arse to put together!!

Driving to Yosemite in the Mazda5 was a dream!! The car hugs the road. Hauls a ton of camping supplies. Has a ton of added amenities, hook up for your iPad or iPhone. SWEET!!!  2 charging ports. One in the very back of the Mazda5. The charging port in the back was really HANDY when I wasn’t driving I could still charge my phone. The Mazda5 Grand Touring has hidden compartments under the middle row of seats.  Lift up the seat cushion and there is room for a purse, iPad and phone. (On each side!)  Note to self…. be sure and empty the compartment before you install the babies car seat!!  Yup…. did it TWICE!!! Driving in Yosemite with the sunroof open is awesome!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the double sliding doors!! Heated front seats.  It’s REALLY COLD at night when you’re camping!! Heated side mirrors. One of my favorite features. See the cup holder in the center of the middle rows of seats? That has yet another compartment under a tray. It will hold toys, purse, cell phone a number of items. But, Mazda truly thought of everything because if you need a longer space to haul stuff that compartment…