Be sure to read Part 1 for a trip overview.Travel Dates: 4/22/11 – 4/23/11

Crater Lake to Corvallis OR
180 miles

Woke up at a Motel 6 in Corvallis OR

Newton smelled terrible so he got a bath.

Drove up to Independence OR to meet Gary from the CadillacOwners forum, who I’ve seen several times at midwest meets.

Up to this point, Gary’s Seville is the only other one I saw west of Denver. There were plenty in Washington, but almost no Cadillacs in California.

He was getting his oil changed.

Went with Gary, his girlfriend Erin, Newton, Ian, and his dog Hoover for a walk.
They sure like to walk around here. With weather this nice, why not?

Parking in the shade for the dogs.

The four of us had some Chinese for lunch.

Headed to Gary’s house and checked out his collection of models, souvenirs, and memorabilia.

Ooooooohh

Gary’s dad retired from the air force. Someone built this model for Gary.

His 2001 Seville. The shale/beige interior is SO MUCH NICER than the dull, lifeless grey in my STS.

We went to the dog park and Gary was kind enough to let me drive his prized collectible, a 1964 Chevy Impala.

[A link to a review and video will be posted soon.]

Gary took us for the took of his workplace, the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis.

“Powered by Orange”

The quad

Campus model

Women’s Building

One huge tree

😀

“Oooh” + “Ahhh”

lolwut

Hanging out in Gary’s office

Cadillacs

Cadillac badges

Hmmm

Heading back in the Impala

Gary treated us to an outstanding dinner at a local steakhouse.

Ian somehow jammed up the driver side door lock in Gary’s Seville

Hoover and Newton

Ian and the dogs

A JOYOUS DAY! Erin made an outstanding breakfast with chewy AND crispy bacon, toast, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. The eggs were particularly amazing. I think she said her secret was adding butter.

Erin and Gary, our generous, patient, and delightful hosts.
[Thank you for having us!]

Me, Gary

And the dogs

Hoover is awesome. I’ll miss him.

I’m very glad I stopped to see Gary and meet Erin. It was a nice way to relax and wind down an otherwise hectic trip.

PART 10: Corvallis OR to Seattle WA to Spokane WA