Thanks for the comments.
Based on comments to date, it does seem that the Cirrus is something that I should consider too.
I struggled with the "stick" in the Skycatcher when I started flying and was much more comfortable with the traditional yoke on a 172. I have the same problem with the t-bar cyclic in Robinson helicopters and find a fully independent cyclic much easier to use. This shortcoming on my part is why I overlooked the Cirrus.
The flying that I will do will be two up flights with a few days worth of clothes for luggage between towns and cities with large, paved runways. I won't buy anything or fly to more interesting destinations in rental aircraft until I am instrument rated. With a the ink barely dry (or plastic barely cured in a more literal sense) on my PPL, I know that I am "allowed" to do significantly more than I am capable of doing at the moment.
"Good weather" IFR is as far as I need to go. I only want to fly for fun so if weather is known to be bad, I simply won't fly or will go commercial if I need to be somewhere. I just want to have a back-up IFR capability (and obviously rating) if I get into a jam.
After reading through a lot of posts on this site, it does seem that a piston engined aircraft with a parachute is probably the least risky option for a low hours PPL with a light piston twin being the least safe option even in the South West where there are obviously a lot of mountains to fly over.
Does anybody have an opinion about a DA 40 versus a SR22?
I am not back in SoCal for another couple of months so I will continue to do more research.