If you aren’t familiar with the Denali line… let me just break it down into one word:
AWESOME
Well, GMC has their own word for it: LUXURY.
The GMC Denali family members. (Photo by Casey Rodgers for GMC)
But luxury IS awesome, so GMC and I basically speak the same language.
In early November, GMC hosted me, my husband, and a handful of other dog owners on an adventure visit to Ojai, California. They called in Denali and Dogs. And it was a BLAST.
(Photo by Casey Rodgers for GMC)
Look where we stayed:
Let me back up… I LOVED that I was able to bring my husband along. He’s basically like a pet, so we went with it 😉 Before we got made the trip to Ojai in the GMC Sierra Denali, we HAD to make a quick stop. Obvi…
Our dog Gus was also invited, but after some consideration (i.e. realization that Gus is a lovable, but untrained extrovert…) we decided to let him hang out at home. On the couch. Snuggling his human siblings.
He is a professional snuggler.
If he’d been trained to sit without barking under a seat on an airplane, he would have loved meeting a bunch of new human and fur friends.
In Ojai there were dogs. There were people. There were outings in vehicles. Just add a puppuccino or two and Gus would have been in his own personal heaven.
Gus would have LOVED Bobby. Bobby would have loved Gus.
I am not sure what Gus would have thought about yoga. He probably would have loved it because every human and dog would have been very accessible. Did I mention we did doggy yoga?
It was a BLAST!
While in Ojai, we were fed amazing meals… a seafood boil catered by White Sage Catering the first night, and our second night Full of Life Flatbread catered what seemed like a never-ending parade of handcrafted deliciousness, including but not limited to fresh-caught sea urchin! I am pretty adventurous in my eating, and I can say… that was the first time sea urchin has passed these lips!
We stayed at Caravan Outpost in Ojai, and the only reason I don’t want to tell you about it is to keep some spots available for me when I’m able to book another visit there. However… I also want you to experience this place. It was just the coolest ever!
Not unlike the GMC Sierra Denali Truck.
(Photo by Casey Rodgers for GMC)
As I mentioned above, we drove from LAX to Ojai in that truck and… *cue sexy music*
I mean it is definitely a truck that will get some work done, but let’s face it… my plan would not include getting that sexy beast dirty. When I discovered the tailgate had speakers and multiple conversion abilities… I had visions of tailgate celebrations, Fourth-of-July fireworks watching-in-luxury, and raddest trips to the drive-in ever… dancing in my head!
(Photo by Casey Rodgers for GMC)
That camping trip would go to 11.
Seriously. Look!
While in Ojai, not only did our Denali & Dogs crew get to do dog yoga, but we also got our learning on! Samantha Johnson of Packlife LA gave some dog parenting pointers. She is a lead trainer for Cesar Milan’s courses. Watching her interact with the dogs and their owners made me REALLY wish Gus had been there too. Gus is a pretty good dog, but he and I both could use a little relationship advice 😉
(Photo by Casey Rodgers for GMC)
After yoga, and a little dog school… we were off to enjoy the day and the Denali line. Most of the crew headed to the beach while Paul and I stayed more local. We explored Ojai sights, food, and olive oil! We tasted LOTS of delicious olive oils at Ojai Olive Oil, and even brought a couple home… yum!
It was such a wonderfully packed two days! I took SO many pictures…
And lucky us! I caught a golden nugget of advice from dog trainer Samantha Johnson on video! Check out the video below to snag that advice for yourself! You’ll also get a good dose of the fun to be had if you decide to hop in a one of the Denali line vehicles and head to Ojai for a day or two!
Trouble viewing the video? Watch here!
Of course, I just talked about the fun and adventure that the Denali line of vehicles can take you to. But GMC has worked hard to think of EVERYTHING… from comfort to convenience to luxury, to safety. Did you know they now have a rear seat reminder feature on most 2018 GMC models – including the Terrain, Acadia, Yukon, Canyon, and Sierra. Visit this link to learn more about this feature that can help parents remember to double check the rear seat before leaving the vehicle.
I had no idea! To learn more, visit GMC and browse the Denali options and see which vehicle best fits your life, dog, and hunger for adventure…
You can read about my experience with the 2016 Acadia Denali from awhile back here!
One one more picture. Of Gus. Because he’s so handsome in his holiday outfit…
